On the occasion of the EPSCO Council that will discuss the so-called horizontal directive, covering equal treatment in access to goods and services, the Equality for All NGO coalition sends a clear message to abandon the excuses and adopt the much needed legislation that will complete protection from discrimination for all EU citizens
Six months ago, organisations[1] representing millions of EU citizens at risk of discrimination called on EU Member States to show clear commitment on the proposed Horizontal Directive on equal treatment. In the meantime, some progress has been made and the Directive should now be adopted without further delay. Equality for All now wants to debunk the lingering excuses that are still used by some Member States and remind that there are still millions of people in the EU suffering daily from preventable discrimination.
In this joint statement we explain why EU Member States should demonstrate their political will to respect the common value of equality, which is enshrined in the EU treaties, by answering their most frequent concerns and giving examples of cases of discrimination that could be prevented through the adoption of the directive.
At the same time, AGE Platform Europe sent a press release calling for the adoption of a strong piece of legislation that sufficiently protects citizens from age discrimination.
[1] The Equality for All coalition is comprised of: AGE Platform Europe; European Disability Forum (EDF); European Network Against Racism (ENAR); European Youth Forum; ILGA-Europe – the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association; Social Platform; European Women’s Lobby; International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO); European Network on Religion and Belief (ENORB); Eurochild.
