Non-discrimination

Bulgaria must allow baby of same-sex couple to travel: EU adviser

Bulgaria must find a way to allow the stateless baby of a same-sex couple from Bulgaria and Gibraltar to travel, a legal adviser of EU's top court said Thursday (15 April).

Romani inclusion requires binding EU legislation, says MEP

On the occasion of International Romani Day on 8 April, MEP Romeo Franz (Greens/EFA) spoke with EURACTIV about the continued challenges that Romani communities across Europe face and the importance of legally binding legislation.

Nordic countries set up Sámi reconciliation commissions to investigate indigenous injustices

Colonial era policies in northern Scandinavia continue to affect Sámi life, culture and land use. Meanwhile, truth commissions are being set up and aim to investigate injustices against Indigenous people carried out by the states. There are an estimated 100,000...

‘Falling like flies’: Hungary’s Roma community pleads for COVID help

Coronavirus infections are ravaging Hungary's 700,000-strong Roma community, according to personal accounts that suggest multiple deaths in single families are common in an unchecked outbreak fuelled by deep distrust of authorities.

Vulnerable adult victims of hate crime struggle to file complaints

Portugal's minister of justice has said the main difficulty for vulnerable adult victims of hate crime or gender violence in Europe lies in making a complaint to the formal instances, as "fear" is the main barrier to overcome.

Rise of nationalist parties threatens to stall progress on race discrimination in Belgium

In 2021, Belgium will mark 40 years since the national Anti-Racism Act was passed. However, despite efforts to combat racism and ethnic discrimination, complaints of racism rose by almost 50% in 2020.

MEPs call for greater regulation of AI discrimination

The European Parliament's culture and education committee endorsed on 15 March an opinion calling for a framework to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in order to "reduce gender, social or cultural bias in technology", and the European Commission is expected to propose a legislative framework for the matter in April. EURACTIV France reports.

German school system still holds back children of migrants, experts say

In Germany, how well a child does in school is closely linked to their parental background, with immigrants and their children worst affected by structural inequalities. Opposition politicians are calling for reforms, but experts fear there is a lack of political will for the necessary overhaul.

Expert: Pandemic has exposed anti-Asian hate in France

The COVID-19 health crisis has exposed the racism people of Asian descent face today. EURACTIV France spoke to post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), Ya-han Chuang to discuss how such "awareness" has been formed in France.

Unbalanced hate: Lack of data abets geography of discrimination in Europe

A lack of equalities data across the EU contributes to structural and institutional inequalities, stakeholders say. The European Commission has promised to pursue better data collection on race and ethnicity to better tackle discrimination. “Over the past few years, we...

Where is discrimination in Europe?

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According to available data from the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and other organisations, encroachments on fundamental rights are widespread in European countries.

US, Europe press Turkey to rethink ditching of Istanbul Convention

US and European leaders denounced what they called Turkey's baffling and concerning decision to pull out of an international accord designed to protect women from violence, and urged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reconsider.

We need to do more than talk about racism

Racism runs deeper than individual acts of hate - it is embedded in the EU’s social, economic and political system. With the Anti-Racism Summit and National Action Plan Against Racism, the EU has a huge opportunity to truly tackle racism, but to do so it needs to tackle it structurally.

In Brussels, green still means white

The EU bubble has a whiteness problem – and the green sector is complicit, write Chloé Mikolajczak and Marianna Tuokkola.

Germany revisits integration policy as critics demand ‘paradigm shift’

The German government has approved a package of measures aimed at promoting the integration of immigrants into society, though critics say it does not go far enough, EURACTIV Germany reports. 

The freedom of LGBTIQ people in Europe will prevail

Two years ago, the county of Świdnik in Poland was declared an “LGBTI ideology-free zone”. Today, a group of lawmakers in the European Parliament have taken the initiative to declare the European Union an LGBTIQ freedom zone.

French minister says Poland stymied his visit to ‘LGBT-free’ zone

French Europe Minister Clément Beaune said he was dissuaded by Polish authorities from visiting what he called an “LGBT-free zone” in defence of civil liberties on a trip to Poland, but the government in Warsaw denied it had blocked access.

Brussels to rename tram, bus stops after famous women

Brussels' public transport operator marked International Women's Day by renaming 10 metro stations after famous women for one day, and pledging to permanently rename 17 bus and tram stops over the next three years to "feminise" its network.

It’s time for an EU law to end gender-based violence

On International Women’s Day, a group of twenty Green MEPS call on the European Commission to propose a comprehensive and inclusive directive to prevent, respond to and end gender-based violence online and offline.

Empowering women leads to better science, research and innovation

Female involvement in research and innovation is vital for ensuring sustainable and inclusive twin digital and green transitions, writes Mariya Gabriel.

Swiss agree to outlaw facial coverings in ‘burqa ban’ vote

A far-right proposal to ban facial coverings in Switzerland won a narrow victory in a binding referendum on Sunday instigated by the same group that organised a 2009 ban on new minarets.

Hungarian media watchdog targets LGBTQI TV campaign

Hungary's media authority has initiated proceedings against RTL Hungary media group for broadcasting an advert aimed at boosting acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender queer and intersexual (LGBTQI) families.

The right to vote for all is a matter of human dignity

As the European Commission is about to unveil the EU's new Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the next decade, Krzysztof Pater writes about one of the areas where discrimination is still acutely felt – the right to vote, effectively denied to many persons with disabilities across Europe.