EU anti-discrimination proposals welcomed by local Euro-MP

10.35.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 2nd Sep 2008

The eagerly awaited European Commission proposal for a new anti-discrimination directive has been welcomed by the MEP who together with colleagues and NGOs fought the objections of some EU Member States and called on the Commission to honour its plans.

Promised by the Commission in its 2008 Work Programme, the directive will outlaw discrimination in access to goods and services covering all areas presently excluded, including disability, age, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

Local LibDem Euro-MP Liz Lynne, whose own-initiative report on the need for the new directive was adopted by the European Parliament earlier this year, said the proposals were not perfect, but very welcome, in a debate on the EU's new social package in Brussels today.

She added:

"For years I have campaigned with others for comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation to outlaw discrimination in access to goods and services for disabled people and older people. For years, we were promised action and then nothing happened.

"Today we can say that we are on the brink of achieving that legislation, not just covering age and disability but also sexual orientation and religion as I called for in my recent report. I would like to thank the Commission for bringing it forward and Commissioner Spidla particularly for his tenacity.

"The proposed legislation is not perfect, we know, and we will want to see some changes. It would have also been better if it had been subject to co-decision.

"But having said that I am delighted to be able to stand here and say that we are at long last on our way to seeing all EU citizens treated equally.

"However there is still a long way to go, we still have to convince all Member States. The European Union was founded on the basis of equality and human rights and I find it amazing that anyone could possibly object to putting in place legislation to protect everyone's rights to be treated equally.

"I know many Member States already have similar legislation so I can't understand why those very same Member States would try to block this proposal."

ENDS

Notes:

Text of Liz Lynne's report as adopted by the European Parliament last month; http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A6-2008-0159&language=EN

Current EU anti-discrimination laws prohibit discrimination in the workplace on all grounds (Employment Directive 2000) but only provides protection against discrimination in access to goods and services on the basis of gender and race (Equal Treatment Directive and the Race Directive respectively).

Liz Lynne's campaign and petition to persuade the Commission and member States to press ahead with a horizontal directive can be found here: www.signtostopdiscrimination.org