News

On November 6-7 the Italian EU Presidency held a high level meeting on non-discrimination and equality, entitled ‘shaping the future of equality policies in the EU’. Social Platform attended the meeting and our Director, Pierre Baussand, was one of the speakers (read his editorial about his intervention).

The event saw a number of member states sign an inter-governmental ‘Rome Declaration on Non Discrimination, Diversity and Equality’; the declaration’s commitments include that member states should implement existing equality directives, adopt measures to advance equality, address inequality experienced by disadvantaged groups and mainstream equality. It went on to welcome cooperation  between member states and the EU and Fundamental Rights Agency, as well as the establishment of a high-level group consisting of governmental representatives to be set up by 2015. The Commission is tasked with facilitating coherence between the work of this group, the Council and the Presidency.

Isabelle Perignon, a member of Commissioner Jourova’s cabinet, spoke about the commitment of the Commissioner to close the gap in equality law, and admitted that resistance to do so stems from a lack of political will. Among the ministers speaking, Helena Dalli from Malta that stated that, as Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties she is also the ‘Minister of Human Beings’, and that people do not choose where they are born and under what circumstances. Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Irish Minister of State for New Communities, Culture and Equality, raised how equality is often put on hold during a crisis, whereas this is the time one should address it most. He called for more diverse representation in parliaments in order to change the nature of proposals and laws coming out of them. He went on to explain that inequality is costly for states in the long-term, and facts show that people are more productive in equal societies because they feel they have value and dignity.

Neil Crowley (independent expert) presented a proposal for cooperation building on five points: 1) implementation and development of equality legislation, 2) standards for equality and non-discrimination in service provision (i.e. sharing good practices to support the blocked ‘Article 19’ directive), 3) implementation of non-discrimination and mainstreaming in the Europe 2020 Strategy process, 4) implementation of EU level action plans (such as the initiative on LGBTI), and 5) guiding principles and common standards on how to work (including the commitment of a high level group). The complete proposal by Mr Crowley was presented as an orientation paper at the event.

Several testimonies were delivered on the experiences of various groups that have been discriminated against, for reasons of ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation and gender identity, and several Social Platform members spoke: AGE Platform Europe, European Youth Forum, ILGA-Europe, TransGender Europe and the European Roma Information Office.

Sandro Gozi, the Italian Secretary of State, concluded the meeting by reminding us that the EU was founded in Rome in the memory of the Jewish, homosexual and Roma people that were killed during WWII. He stated that while there are conditions of human rights standards in order to become a member of the EU it becomes a ‘black box’ after accepted membership, and reaffirmed that the Italian Presidency is committed to correcting myths surrounding the Anti-Discrimination Directive.

Artis Bertulis, the Latvian Ambassador, highlighted the upcoming Presidency’s priorities to work on the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 Strategy, organise events on disability, focusing on the right of the child and de-institutionalisation (May and June 2015). The Presidency will hold a joint Social Protection Committee and Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs meeting focusing on vulnerable people furthest away from the labor market.