NGOs tell Germany to stop blocking anti-discrimination directive

EurActiv published a feature on 24 July 2015 regarding plans from the European Union to adopt a Directive against discrimination.

More than 40 associations and NGOs from Germany and Europe had co-signed a joint statement, initiated by the German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (FADA) and Equinet, calling on the German government to stop blocking the Equal Treatment Directive of the European Union (the so-called Horizontal Directive).

Germany took the view that the issues covered in the proposed directive could be better regulated at the
national level and therefore regarded the proposal as infringing on national competence.

Equinet, the European Network of Equality Bodies, brings together 42 organisations from 32 European countries, which are empowered to counteract discrimination as national equality bodies across the range of grounds including age, disability, gender, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: EU anti-discrimination law: Six years and (still) waiting http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-anti-discrimination-law-six-years-and-still-waiting/

ESO: Background information: Hidden Homophobia: Is Germany Really as Liberal as It Seems? http://www.europeansources.info/record/hidden-homophobia-is-germany-really-as-liberal-as-it-seems/

Deutsche Welle, 23.07.15: Equality groups call on Merkel to quit blocking EU anti-discrimination law http://dw.com/p/1G3sG

Website: Equinet: European Network of Equality Bodies, http://www.equineteurope.org/

Equinet: News 23.07.15: Joint appeal for European discrimination protection http://www.equineteurope.org/Joint-appeal-for-European

EURLex: COM (2008)426: Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1437770853120&uri=CELEX:52008PC0426

Council of the European Union: EU Presidency, 9009/15: Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (15.06.15) (via the Consilium: Register of Documents) http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-9009-2015-INIT/en/pdf

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