Non-discrimination
Bulgarian officials ordered to provide ID for lesbian couple’s baby
A Bulgarian court on Monday (16 May) ordered city hall authorities in the capital Sofia to issue a birth certificate to the stateless baby of a same-sex couple from Bulgaria and Gibraltar.
UK, Romania lose ground on LGBTI rights despite overall progress in Europe
LGBTI rights are slowly improving across Europe, but “big gaps” persist with a number of countries slipping down the ladder, according to a new ranking published by ILGA-Europe on Thursday (12 May).
Women are the missing key to tackling climate change in the Muslim World
The Muslim world, and its religious leaders, have a duty to empower women to play crucial civil society roles if climate change is to be slowed and – possibly even reversed, writes Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa.
Faced with discrimination, Ukrainian Roma refugees are going home
After facing discrimination and being denied humanitarian aid in Hungary, many Roma refugees fleeing Ukraine head back to their war-torn country to reunite with their families, despite the risks, activists say.
Far-right MEPs: EU should focus on Ukrainian refugees, not Romani
Far-right lawmakers in the European Parliament urged the EU to focus on Ukrainian refugees instead of discussing discrimination against Romani people during a debate ahead of International Romani Day (8 April).
Macron’s gender equality record ‘largely insufficient’
At the start of his term, Macron promised to increase gender equality. However, progress has been "largely insufficient" despite the implementation of several concrete measures, a report recently published by NGO Oxfam France has found. EURACTIV France reports.
Kosovo snubs recognition of same-sex civil unions
Kosovo lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a law that would recognise same-sex civil partnerships, failing to become the first Muslim-majority country to adopt such legislation.
Persons with disabilities in Ukraine face a ‘crisis within a crisis’
Civil society calls on the EU, national governments and humanitarian organisations to step up efforts to protect Ukraine's 2.7 million persons with disabilities who risk abandonment, death or a lack of shelter amid Russia's invasion
Member states end 10-year deadlock on EU’s plan for women’s quota on corporate boards
EU employment and social affairs ministers have adopted a general approach on the directive to boost gender equality on corporate boards, ending a decade-long stalemate and paving the way for final negotiations between the European Parliament and the 27 member states in the Council.
Anti-LGBTI rhetoric rising throughout Europe
Anti-LGBTI rhetoric is on the rise across Europe, according to a report published on Tuesday (15 February) by ILGA-Europe, an advocacy group. At the same time, numbers show public opinion has also shifted positively towards the community, most notably in Hungary.
Roma inclusion set back as several EU countries delay national strategies
Several European countries are lagging behind on their strategies to tackle discrimination and inequalities faced by Roma, casting doubts they will be able to reach already “unambitious” targets, experts warn.
EU countries split over Commission’s plan to give parents cross-border rights
The European executive is pushing for the recognition of parenthood in one country to result in bloc-wide recognition of familial ties, but the initiative could create a rift across the bloc due to the inclusion of rainbow families.
Israel rejects Amnesty report accusing it of enforcing ‘apartheid’ on Palestinians
Amnesty International accused Israel on Tuesday (1 February) of subjecting Palestinians to a system of apartheid founded on policies of "segregation, dispossession and exclusion" that it said amounted to crimes against humanity.
Portugal’s flourishing far right target Roma ahead of vote
Portugal's far-right Chega party has adopted a harsh line against the country's Roma population ahead of Sunday's snap election, accusing the community of welfare benefits abuse and crime.
EU’s von der Leyen in new push for women’s quota on company boards
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will make a new push at boosting women's representation on companies' boards, trying to unblock legislation for a women's quota which has been stuck since 2012.
Swiss to allow simple legal gender transition from 1 January
People in Switzerland will be able to legally change gender by a visit to the civil registry office from 1 January, putting the country at the forefront of Europe's gender self-identification movement.
Obituary: Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid hero who never stopped fighting for ‘Rainbow Nation’
"Like falling in love" is how Archbishop Desmond Tutu described voting in South Africa's first democratic election in 1994, a remark that captured both his puckish humour and his profound emotions after decades fighting apartheid.
EU court asks Bulgaria to give passport to baby of lesbian couple
The EU's top court Tuesday (14 December) ruled that Bulgaria must issue an identity document or passport to the stateless baby of a same-sex couple from Bulgaria and Gibraltar.
Leave Serbia, Montenegro to do their homework, says Belgrade’s human rights minister
The European Union should move on outstanding promises of enlarging the bloc while leaving the two frontrunners in the waiting room, Serbia and Montenegro, to ‘do their homework’, Serbia’s Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue Gordana Čomić told EURACTIV....
Belgium, Czech Republic downgraded in civic freedoms report
Freedom of expression and peaceful protests are in dangerous decline even in "established democracies" in Europe, according to the 2021 edition of the annual CIVICUS Monitor index published on Wednesday (December 8).
More than 40,000 march in Vienna against coronavirus lockdown
More than 40,000 people marched through Vienna on Saturday (4 December) to protest against a lockdown and plans to make vaccinations compulsory to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Lack of commitment from EU countries curbs equality efforts across the bloc
European anti-discrimination strategies risk being “empty policies” unless national governments step up their game, civil society representatives have warned.
EU Parliament sets out two-year diversity roadmap
The European Parliament’s leadership adopted on Monday (29 November) a two-year ‘roadmap’ through which it hopes to “intensify efforts to achieve a more inclusive administration”.