Council resolution of 5 December 2007 on the follow-up of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007)
Date: 2007-12-05
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU policy, European social policy, anti-discriminatory measure, equal treatment, gender equality, public awareness campaign, social integration

19.12.2007

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Official Journal of the European Union

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I

(Resolutions, recommendations and opinions)

RESOLUTIONS

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 5 December 2007

on the follow-up of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007)

(2007/C 308/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

framed the action against discrimination at EU level during
the last 3 years;

Recalling that:

1. non-discrimination and equal treatment, as enshrined in par-
ticular in Articles 2, 3 and 13 of the EC Treaty, are funda-
mental principles of the European Union that should be
taken into account in all the European Union's policies;

2. Article 21 of

the Charter of Fundamental Rights of

the
European Union recognises the prohibition of discrimination
on a variety of grounds and that Article 23 of that Charter
recognises the requirement that equality between men and
women be ensured in all areas;

3. the Social Agenda 2005-2010, which complements and
supports the Lisbon Strategy, has a key role to play in
social dimension of economic growth,
promoting the
including equal opportunities for all, as a means of achieving
a more socially inclusive society;

4. the Progress programme (1) supports the effective implemen-
tation of the principle of non-discrimination and promotes
its mainstreaming in all Community policies by improving
the understanding of
supporting the
implementation of legislation, raising awareness and devel-
oping the capacity of key European-level networks;

the phenomenon,

5. building on the responses to the 2004 Green Paper on
the
Equality and Non-discrimination in an enlarged EU,
Commission has adopted a framework strategy which has

(1) OJ L 315, 24.10.2006, p. 1.

6. by adopting, respectively,

the European Pact

for Gender
Equality at the European Council in March 2006, and the
Roadmap for Equality between Women and Men,
the
Member States and the European Commission committed
themselves to implementing gender equality policies and
measures at the European and national levels.

Considering that:

1. despite much progress in promoting equality and fighting
discrimination thanks, inter alia, to the adoption of equality
legislation and to the setting up of national equality bodies,
inequality and discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or
ethnic origin, age, disability, religion or belief, or sexual
orientation continue to exist in the EU, at a substantive cost
to the individual women and men concerned and European
societies as a whole;

2. poverty and social exclusion are major obstacles to equal

opportunities;

3. the

anti-discrimination legislation remains

insufficiently
known, as highlighted by a recent Eurobarometer survey
which showed that only one third of the people in the EU
know their rights should they become victims of discrimina-
tion or harassment;

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4. Decision No 771/2006/EC of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 17 May 2006 establishing the European
Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007) — towards a just
society (1) was an opportunity to renew a shared vision of a
Europe where all people enjoy a life free from discrimination
and to reaffirm that realising a full equality of opportunities
is essential for the growth, cohesion, prosperity and well
being of Europe and its people;

5. the opinion of

an instrument

the European Economic

and Social
Committee on harmonised indicators in the field of disability
as
European policies
for monitoring
underlines the need to define, at European level, a reliable
and coherent set of indicators in the field of disability in
order to achieve progress in making equal opportunities a
and to permit
reality for persons with a disability
the
solutions between the
Member States, as the effectiveness of the initiatives under-
taken would thereby become measurable.

exchange of best-practice

Welcoming:

1. the exceptionally high level of mobilisation and participation
of stakeholders in the 2007 European Year of Equal Oppor-
tunities for All (hereinafter referred to as ‘the European Year’),
illustrated by several hundred actions such as information,
promotional and educational campaigns, awards to business
for innovative diversity policies, music and youth festivals,
training programmes, surveys and studies which were imple-
mented throughout the EU to contribute to making equality
a reality and which involved Governments at central, regional
and local level, organisations defending or representing the
interests of those who are potentially exposed to discrimina-
trade
tion and unequal
unions, equality bodies and many grass roots organisations;

schools, businesses,

treatment,

2. the strong commitment demonstrated by individuals, civil
society, governments and public administrations, equality
bodies and European institutions to celebrate equal opportu-
nities for all throughout 2007 and to implement the key
objectives of the European Year — Rights, Representation,
Recognition and Respect;

3. the establishment of National Implementing Bodies and the
adoption of national strategies and priorities to implement
the European Year in each participating country, covering for
the first time all the Article 13 discrimination grounds;

January 2007 Equality Summit and the mechanisms estab-
lished at national
level to consult on a regular basis and
cooperate closely with civil society and other relevant stake-
implementation and monitoring of
holders on the design,
the national strategies with regard to the European Year;

5. the ‘cross-grounds’ dialogue undertaken between civil society
organisations and other key stakeholders at the national level
when contributing to the design, implementation, follow-up
and
the
European Year, and the regular exchange of views held at
European level;

assessment

strategies

national

the

for

of

6. the balanced treatment of

all discrimination grounds

throughout the European Year's actions;

7. the establishment of Equinet, a European network of national
equality bodies, which will enhance their ability to carry out
their independent functions through the exchange of exper-
tise, training and peer support, and help them to contribute
to the institutional changes required for an effective imple-
mentation of equality legislation and to support a dialogue
between the European institutions and the
specialised
equality bodies;

8. the signature by the Community and most of the Member
States of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (2),
followed by the consensus
reached at
the informal ministerial meeting on disability
issues in June 2007 (3) to work on a coherent and coordi-
nated approach for European implementation of
the
UN Convention.

Noting that:

1. equality policies are essential instruments for social cohe-
sion, economic growth, prosperity and competitiveness and
thus for the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Employment;

2. the three Directives implementing the principle of equal
treatment adopted so far under Article 13 are: Council
Directive 2000/43/EC (4) covering discrimination on the
grounds of racial or ethnic origin in the areas of employ-
ment, access to goods and services, education and social
protection; Council Directive 2000/78/EC (5) covering all
the other discrimination grounds i.e. religion or belief,
disability,
field of
employment
and Council Directive
2004/113/EC (6) covering discrimination on the grounds of
sex in the area of access to and supply of goods and
services;

sexual orientation in the

and occupation,

age or

4. the renewed dialogue undertaken between public institutions,
policy makers and stakeholders active in the fight against
discrimination throughout the European Year, thanks to the

(1) OJ L 146, 31.5.2006, p. 1.

(2) http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable
(3) Berlin, 11 June 2007.
(4) OJ L 180, 19.7.2000, p. 22.
(5) OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16.
(6) OJ L 373, 21.12.2004, p. 37.

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3.

in order to make real progress towards achieving equality
in practice, the awareness and implementation of legislation
needs to be strengthened and equal opportunities need to
be mainstreamed;

13. the recommendations of the High Level Group of Experts
integration of ethnic
the
the end of

on the social and labour market
minorities are due to be delivered at
European Year;

4. as demonstrated by the Equality Summit held in January
2007 under the German Presidency of the Council and by
the closing conference of
the European Year held in
November 2007 under the Portuguese Presidency, ensuring
dialogue and an exchange of information and good practice
between key stakeholders and policy makers at EU level is
valuable in making progress in promoting equal opportu-
nities;

14. further progress can be achieved more effectively if struc-
tural and physical barriers to integration are dismantled.
Funds could be provided through, among other means, the
Structural Funds for measures contributing to promoting
accessibility and the full integration into the labour market,
and thereby into society, of persons at risk of discrimina-
tion;

5.

6.

racial or ethnic origin,

it is essential that actions fighting discrimination on the
grounds of
religion or belief,
disability, age or sexual orientation take into account the
different ways in which women and men experience discri-
mination;

15. the media have a key role to play in fighting prejudice and
stereotypes and therefore in contributing to improving
equal opportunities for all;

16. businesses increasingly recognise that there are significant

benefits to be gained from employing a diverse workforce;

improving the participation in society of groups at risk of
discrimination and a balanced participation of men and
women are key issues in progressing towards equal oppor-
tunities, as is their involvement
in actions designed to
combat discrimination;

17. the European Parliament and civil society have called for
extending legal protection against discrimination to areas
beyond employment and occupation.

7. the benefits of diversity, both for European societies and
individuals, should be highlighted through the positive
contribution that can be made by all people, irrespective of
their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability,
age or sexual orientation;

Invites Member States and the European Commission, in accord-
ance with their respective competencies:

1. to ensure full and effective implementation and evaluation
of existing anti-discrimination laws and gender equality
legislation;

8.

it is essential to eliminate violence, prejudice and stereo-
types, to promote good relations between all in society and,
in particular, among young people, and to promote and
disseminate the values underlying the fight against discrimi-
nation;

2. to strengthen efforts to prevent and combat discrimination
based on sex, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief,
disability, age or sexual orientation, inside and outside the
labour market;

9. the collection of data on discrimination and equality is an
essential tool for, firstly, properly assessing the extent and
type of discrimination issues which individuals face and,
secondly, designing, adapting, monitoring and evaluating
policies;

3. to further information about and awareness of these laws
among the wider public, stakeholders and decision makers
and to promote the benefits of equal opportunities for all
by developing and disseminating information and aware-
ness-raising tools and methods;

10. the European Year has highlighted the aggravated difficulties

stemming from multiple discrimination;

4. to build on the governance mechanisms established during
the European Year and to continue the constructive
exchanges between policy makers at EU level in order to
prepare and follow up the ‘Equality Summits’;

11. discrimination can lead to poverty and social exclusion by

preventing participation and access to resources;

12. many Roma face a very difficult situation characterised by
their ethnic

cases of discrimination on the grounds of
origin, and by social exclusion;

5. to fully associate civil society, including organisations repre-
senting people at risk of discrimination, the social partners
and stakeholders in the design of policies and programmes
aimed at preventing discrimination and promoting equality
and equal opportunities, both at European and national
levels;

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6. to secure and strengthen the effectiveness of specialised
equality bodies in carrying out their independent functions
by providing them, having regard to national budgetary
and human
constraints, with the necessary financial
resources in order to allow them to respond appropriately
to allegations of discrimination in a timely and effective
manner, to support victims and to make an active contribu-
tion to achieving full equality in practice;

7. to ensure the mainstreaming of non-discrimination and
the Structural
equality issues in the implementation of
Funds, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, the
Guidelines for Growth and Jobs and the Objectives for
Social Inclusion and Social Protection;

8. to take full account of

the specific issues arising from
multiple discrimination when designing laws and when
monitoring
support
programmes;

evaluating

policies

and

and

14. to continue the process of signature, conclusion and ratifi-
cation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities;

15. to develop cooperation on common challenges and solu-
tions in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, also with regard to disability
statistics and indicators of participation;

16. to promote the access to human rights of the Roma popu-
lation, to accelerate the process of their social inclusion and
to combat all kinds of discrimination against them;

17. to condemn firmly all forms of homophobia and to call for
further monitoring and research on this issue, in particular
by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights;

9. to make full use of the possibilities for pursuing positive
action in order
to overcome existing inequalities and
achieve full equality in practice, in particular with regard to
access to education and employment;

18. to condemn firmly all forms of racism and xenophobia and
to reinforce monitoring and research on these issues, in par-
ticular by the European Union Agency for Fundamental
Rights;

10. to gather statistical data, whenever possible disaggregated
by sex and,
if necessary, on an anonymous basis, as an
essential tool for improving the design and monitoring of
policies and programmes aiming at providing equal oppor-
tunities for all and at tackling multiple discrimination, and
to involve other actors in collecting equality data;
the
existing data collected through Eurostat and the Beijing
Platform for Action framework should be fully used;

11. to step up efforts to implement the European Pact for
Gender Equality and the Commission's Roadmap for
Equality between Women and Men 2006-2010, as well as
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, through
specific actions and the integration of the gender perspec-
tive into every stage of the policy process — design, imple-
mentation, monitoring and evaluation — with a view to
promoting equality between women and men;

12. to sustain and reinforce the mainstreaming of disability
issues into all relevant policies,
the
successive phases of the European Action Plan on equal
opportunities for people with disabilities, and to promote
the development of a set of harmonised indicators and
quantitative targets to monitor progress achieved in this
field;

taking account of

19. to firmly condemn and take all necessary measures to
prevent all forms of discrimination against people on the
basis of their religion or belief;

20. to encourage the European Institute for Gender Equality
and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights,
as two agencies called upon to support the EU's activities
promoting gender equality and counteracting discrimina-
tion, to play an active role in ensuring the follow-up of the
key objectives of the European Year and to make use of the
results and studies undertaken under the European Year;

21. to continue mobilising all available instruments under, inter
alia, the Structural Funds to support measures which facili-
tate the full integration of people who suffer from discrimi-
nation into the labour market and into society;

22. to take appropriate measures to promote the use of all the
possibilities provided for by the Progress programme;

13. to continue to promote the equal participation of women
and men in decision making at all levels and the involve-
ment of groups at risk of discrimination in society;

23. to further promote diversity of the workforce and to foster
and encourage the development of relevant business tools,
including voluntary charters;

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24. to increase diversity and improve equal opportunities
management in all public service administrations at EU and
national level.

2. to mainstream anti-discrimination and positive

action

measures in their negotiations;

Invites civil society and the social partners:

3. to continue the ‘cross-grounds’ dialogue at both national and

1. to participate actively in the development and promotion of
policies and measures on non-discrimination and equality,
and to promote diversity and equal opportunities policies
within public and private organisations, as well as enter-
prises;

European levels;

4. to cooperate with Governments and public administrations,
equality bodies and European institutions in building up a
global partnership to combat discrimination on all grounds.