Tag: anti-discrimination

Some 80 million EU citizens are having difficulty using public buildings, facilities and services such as shops, transport and websites because they have some kind of disability. To address this situation, the European Commission this week (15 November) launched a 10-year strategy to improve accessibility and promote equality.

Presented as a way of enhancing the integration of young immigrants, the scheme was strongly criticised in Italy for being potentially discriminatory. Meanwhile, the EU's newly-adopted Immigration Pact came under fire for lacking clear guidelines on integration.

The Commission's long-awaited social package aimed at tackling discrimination and strengthening workers' rights, which was unveiled yesterday (2 July), was warmly welcomed by MEPs but business federations and civil society groups were dismissive, saying it falls short.

MEPs and trade unions' persistent lobbying in favour of comrehensive EU anti-discrimination legislation has eventually born fruit as the Commission informally announced on Monday (16 June) that it would put forward a proposal aimed at outlawing all forms of discrimination beyond the workplace.