We, IGLYO and the undersigned equality and anti-discrimination organisations, call on the European Union’s leaders and European Institutions to ensure equality, anti-racism, and fundamental rights are a priority during the next legislative mandate.
We noted the advances in Equality which have been made by the European Union during this mandate. The appointment of the first-ever Commissioner for Equality was a welcome and much-needed initiative. It has shown that the European Commission is committed to advancing the values of equality enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union and to its duties under Article 10 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Equality and non-discrimination policies and initiatives became more visible and were addressed through several proposals such as standards for equality bodies, a Directive to combat violence against women, a legislative proposal on the European Disability Card and Parking Card, the action plan against racism, and a proposal for cross-border recognition of parental rights. These initiatives were coupled with strategies on gender equality, LGBTIQ and disability, as well as the EU Roma strategic framework and a Green Paper on Ageing.
However, the EU is far from being a Union of Equality- this is a work in progress, and right now, we witness rising backlash, racial injustice, inequality and discrimination. This needs urgent attention both at the EU and national levels.
For this, we specifically call on the European Union to put in place comprehensive legal protection against discrimination in the EU. We need to guarantee equality of treatment regardless of who you are or where you live in the European Union.
We also call on specific actions to guarantee that the European Union’s Institutions have adequate resources and staffing to prioritise and mainstream equality and non-discrimination, with special attention to vulnerable groups and intersectional discrimination:
We remind leaders that all initiatives must meaningfully involve equality organisations, anti-racism organisations and organisations representing the groups most subject to discrimination.
It is essential that the Union’s decision-making process is transparent, and organisations are properly resourced and supported to guarantee their active involvement.
It is also fundamental to ensure that staff working at the EU Institutions properly reflects the European population, not only in terms of nationality but also in terms of diversity of gender, race, ethnic or social origin, membership of a national minority, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and variations of sex characteristics. We call on specific action to ensure it and to guarantee training to all staff training on equality and non-discrimination.
Only by working together will the European Union truly become a Union of Equality that reflects its motto of “United in Diversity”.
The undersigned organisations remain committed to supporting the European Institutions in achieving this crucial objective.
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