Commission staff working document accompanying the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Implementation, results and overall assessment of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All - The 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All : a few facts at a glance! {COM(2009)269}
Date: 2009-06-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, EU programme, European social policy, anti-discriminatory measure, equal treatment, gender equality, public awareness campaign, social integration

EN 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 19.6.2009 
SEC(2009)781 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

accompanying the 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL,  
THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Implementation, results and overall assessment of the 2007 European Year of Equal 
Opportunities for All 

The 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All 

A Few Facts at a glance! 

{COM(2009)269} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1.  Key facts, figures and examples of the 2007 EYEO.......................................................... 3 

2.  Breakdown of EYEO actual expenditure - Budget line 04 04 12 ...................................... 6 

3.  On-going Evaluation of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All – 

Towards a Just Society................................................................................................. 7 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
 
1. 

 KEY FACTS, FIGURES AND EXAMPLES OF THE 2007 EYEO 

AT NATIONAL LEVEL 

•  30 participating countries 

•  30 National Implementing Bodies involving 100 staff members 

•  434  Implemented  Actions  by  around  1.000  Action  Leaders  and  their  Partners, 
which delivered 1.600 outputs, consisting of more than 1.000 meetings and events, 
circa 440 national-level campaigns and over 120 studies and surveys 

•  Over 1700 received EYEO moral support, consisting of 1226 meetings and events, 

425 campaigns and 59 studies 

•  More than 140 networks, working groups or instances of cross-sectoral cooperation 
involving  various  branches  of  government,  equality  bodies,  organisations  or  civil 
society were generated as a direct result of the EYEO 

AT EU LEVEL 

The EYEO produced inter alia the following: 

•  530 participants in the launching conference in Berlin and over 700 in the closing 

conference in Lisbon 

•  The website was visited by overall 894.934 viewers  

•  The stand set up at the Eurovision Village in Helsinki, Finland, during Eurovision 

week (5-12 May), attracted 320.000 visitors 

•  At  least  3.611  media  clippings,  largely  in  the  form  of  clippings  in  print,  which 

achieved over at least 370 million contacts altogether 

•  700  deliveries  of  printed  information,  promotional  material  and  stands  to  NIBs, 

national correspondents, NGOs and public authorities 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
LEGACY 

•  Many lasting processes or bodies are to be considered as directly resulting from the 

EYEO across the 30 participating countries, such as: 

•  The Flemish Centre for Equal Opportunities has soared by 77% between 2006 and 
2007,  with  2.917  new  dossiers  opened,  126  of  which  were  on  the  age  ground 
(Belgium) 

•  A National Scheme for Gender Equality has been drawn up (Cyprus) 

•  Upgrading  of  the  radio  and  television  programmes  of  the  Cyprus  Broadcasting 

Corporation addressed to the Turkish Cypriot community(Cyprus) 

•  A  working  Group  for  Freedom  and  Religions  became  operational  in  December 

2007 (Czech Republic) 

•  A new body dealing with socially excluded Roma localities, two committees on the 
prevention of domestic violence and reconciliation of work and family within the 
Governmental  Council  for  equal  opportunities  of  women  and  men  (Czech 
Republic) 

•  Agreement  of  cooperation  between  the  National  Equal  Opportunity  Network  and 
the Ombudsman for Minority Affairs and between the National Equal Opportunity 
Network and the Equal Treatment Authority” (Hungary) 

•  A  support  group  was  established  for  young  people  who  identify  as  transgender 

(Ireland) 

•  Same-sex partnership legislative proposal at the Parliament (Liechtenstein) 

•  Significant  increase  in  the  membership  received  by  the  National  Association  of 

Lesbian and Gay Liberation (Norway) 

•  A  woman  was  elected  chairperson  of  the  Norwegian  Olympic  Committee  for  the 

first time (Norway) 

•  LGBT  NGOs  now  sit  on  the  Advisory  Council  of  the  CIG  (Commission  for 
Citizenship  and  Gender  Equality).  Different  religions  are  now  represented  in  the 
Advisory  Council  of  the  ACIDI  (High  Commission  for  Immigration  and 
Intercultural Dialogue) (Portugal) 

•  Incorporation  of  the  needs  of  disabled  persons  into  the  economic  and  social 

development programmes of all regions (Slovakia) 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
 
EXAMPLES AMONG THE 434 IMPLEMENTED ACTIONS 

•  Support  of  the  Roma  integration  principle  throughout  the  multicultural  education 

courses for primary and secondary school teachers (Czech Republic) 

•  Diversity  in  Employment  -  Guide  for  Employers  on  affirmative  action  regarding 

the hiring of people with disabilities (Finland) 

•  For the equal opportunities of Travellers in the area of Angoulême (France) 

•  Conference “Diversity as a Chance – Diversity in German businesses” (Germany) 

•  Creation of a Federal network of anti-discrimination offices (Germany) 

•  The  development  of  a  public  awareness  campaign  on  ageism  and  older  people 

(Ireland) 

•  Seminar on the Participation of Black and Ethnic Minority Groups in Public Policy 

Development and the Delivery of Public Services (Ireland) 

•  Network  of  local  institutions  against  discrimination  on  the  grounds  of  sexual 

orientation and gender identity (Italy) 

•  Rights  for  young  employees  -  LOs  (Confederations  of  Trade  Unions)  Summer 

Patrol (Norway) 

•  Equal Opportunities Trips walking and cycling through the diversity of Amsterdam 

(The Netherlands) 

•  Playground  – a  TV spot  to address the lack of awareness of  negative stereotypes 

and discrimination existing in society (Poland) 

•  Voices of Africa – Internet Radio focusing on young supporters of football teams 

(Poland) 

•  Inter-culturalism  in  Ireland,  North  and  South,  as  part  of  intercultural  week  2007, 

thereby accentuating the benefits of diversity (United Kingdom) 

•  As well as several studies addressing in particular discrimination based on sexual 

orientation carried out in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania or Poland. 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
 
2. 

BREAKDOWN OF EYEO ACTUAL EXPENDITURE - BUDGET LINE 04 04 12 

Initial budget planned for the EYEO was 15 Mio€, out of which:  
•  7,35 Mio€ for EU level activities (of  which 5,1 Mio€ for EU-wide campaign); 
•  7,65  Mio€  for  Actions  at  national  level  that  Me mber  States  had  to  match  with  an  equal 

share of public or private funding. 

The  total  planned  budget  for  the  27  Member  States  was  thus  amounting  22,65  Mio€.  The 
participation  of  Iceland,  Liechtenstein  and  Norway,  and  the  planned  contributions  of  some 
countries exceeding their 50% share, brought the total planned budget to more than 25 Mio€. 

Activity 

EU-wide information and promotional campaign  

EU-level  conferences  (of  which  the  opening,  closing,  European 
Parliament, etc.) 

Eurobarometer 2007 

Eurobarometer 2008 

Euroflash 2008 

On-going Evaluation of the EYEO 

S/Total EU level activities 

EU  contribution  to  the  co-funding  of  the  434  Actions  implemented  at 
national level  

EYEO actual 
expenditure 

5 056 513,21 €

 987 021,94 €

774 041,70 €

491 665,00 €

237 205,82 €

377 940,00 €

7 546 447,82 €

6 790 965,14€

Grand Total of EU contribution to EYEO Actions and activities 

14 337 412,96€

p.m.  National  contributions  from  30  Participating  countries  to  the  co-
funding of the 434 Actions implemented at national level 

9 143 442,63€

GRAND TOTAL of EYEO (EU + national) funding 

23 480 855,59 €

This total final expenditure of circa 23,5Mio€  thus represented a bit less than 93% of the total 
planned one for the 30 Participating countries. 

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
3. 

ON-GOING EVALUATION OF THE 2007 EUROPEAN YEAR OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 
FOR ALL – TOWARDS A JUST SOCIETY  

Final Report1 - Executive summary   

The 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All 

In May 2006 the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Decision2 to designate 2007 
as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All – Towards a Just Society (EYEO).  

The  overarching  policy  objective  of  the  EYEO  at  the  EU  level3  was  to  realise  the  full 
potential of the Europeans through fighting discrimination and providing equal opportunities 
for all, thereby stimulating economic development and creating a solid foundation for social 
justice and equal opportunities for all.  

To  pursue  this  global  objective,  a  three-pronged  approach  was  considered  necessary.  These 
three  main  global  goals,  as  presented  by  Vladimír  Špidla,  Commissioner  for  Employment, 
Social  Affairs  and  Equal  Opportunities  at  the  Berlin  EYEO  opening  conference,  were:  to 
better  inform  people  about  their  rights  to  equal  treatment;  to  move  closer  to  achieving  the 
objective  of  real  equal  opportunities  for  all;  and  to  showcase  the  benefits  of  diversity  for 
societies in the European Union. 

These global goals were embodied in four key themes as established by the EYEO Decision. 
These were also termed the "4 Rs" – Rights, Representation, Recognition and Respect.4 The 
first one, Rights, focused on raising awareness of the right to equality and non-discrimination, 
and of the problem of multiple discrimination. EYEO intended to highlight the message that 
all  people  are  entitled  to  equal  treatment,  and  it  aimed  to  make  those  groups  at  risk  of 
discrimination more aware of their rights and the existing European legislation on the subject. 
The  second  one,  Representation,  intended  to  stimulate  debate  on  ways  to  increase  the 
participation in society of groups that suffer from discrimination and to ensure the balanced 
participation of men and women. EYEO intended to encourage reflection and discussion on 
the need to promote greater participation of these groups in society overall, as well as through 
Actions specifically designed to combat discrimination. The third one, Recognition focused 
on  facilitating  and  celebrating  diversity  and  equality.  EYEO  intended  to  emphasise  that  all 
people,  irrespective  of  their  sex,  racial  or  ethnic  origin,  religion  or  belief,  disability,  age  or 
sexual  orientation,  could  positively  contribute  to  society  as  a  whole,  in  particular  through 
emphasising  the  benefits  of  diversity.  The  last  one,  Respect,  focused  on  promoting  a  more 
cohesive  society.  EYEO  intended  to  raise  awareness  of  the  importance  of  eliminating 
stereotypes, prejudice and violence, promoting good relations between all members of society 
(in  particular  among  young  people),  and  disseminating  the  values  underpinning  the  fight 
against discrimination. 

For the first time ever a Community activity, within one initiative, had to deal equally with 
the  six  grounds  of  discrimination  covered  by  Article  13  of  the  Treaty  establishing  the 
European  Community,  that  are  sex,  racial  or  ethnic  origin,  religion  or  belief,  disability,  age 

1 

2 
3 
4 

The full report is available at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=483&furtherNews=yes 
Decision N°771/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006. 
The policy context is described further in chapter 2.1 of the full report.  
Cf. Decision N°771/2006/EC, reproduced in a slightly abbreviated version. 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
                                                 
and  sexual  orientation5.  At  the  same  time  the  EYEO  represented  a  multi-faceted  concept, 
issues  such  as  multiple  discrimination6  and  gender 
which  emphasised 
mainstreaming.  Moreover,  the  EYEO  Decision  emphasised  a  balanced  treatment  of  these 
different grounds of discrimination.  

transversal 

Another  significant  feature  of  the  EYEO  was  its  largely  decentralised  approach;  while  co-
ordinated at EU level, EYEO was implemented via initiatives originated at the national level 
and supplemented by EU-wide activities. The 30 Participant Countries7 were thus required to 
designate a National Implementing Body (NIB) that had the responsibility for planning and 
implementing  the  EYEO8.  As  part  of  the  preparation  and  planning  of  the  EYEO,  the  NIBs 
were  given  the  responsibility  of  designing  National  Strategies  (NS),  including  the 
identification  of  the  existing  challenges  according  to  each  ground  of  discrimination  and  the 
setting up of national priorities for the EYEO9 in close co-operation with civil society. 

The overall budget planned for the EYEO amounted to 15 million €, more than half of which 
(7.65  million  €)  was  allocated  to  the  27  Member  States  with  the  condition  that  each  one  of 
them must contribute an equal share of national public or private funding. The remaining 7.35 
million € were allocated to Community-wide measures, including 5.1 million € set aside for 
an EU-wide information and promotional campaign. This brought the total planned budget for 
activities in the 27 Member States during the EYEO to 22.65 million €

.10  

Evaluation of the EYEO11 

The task of the evaluation team was to determine whether the EYEO was a success both at the 
European level and at the level of the Participant Countries; this means that every Action or 
activity implemented has not been evaluated individually but at an aggregated level.  

The  evaluation  process  addressed  seven  different  evaluation  issues,  which  also  mirror  the 
structure of the report, that are Relevance: the extent to which the EYEO and its objectives 
were  justified  in  relation  to  the  challenges  identified  at  the  EU  and  national  levels; 
Complementarity:  the  extent  to  which  the  EYEO's  objectives  complemented  other  EU 
objectives;  Implementation:  the  extent  to  which  the  implementation  process  and  delivery 
mechanisms supported the attainment of the objectives; Effectiveness: the extent to which the 
various EYEO Actions and instruments were implemented or applied and helped to achieve 
the  specific  objectives  of  the  EYEO;  Efficiency:  the  extent  to  which  the  desired  effects 
(outputs  and  outcomes)  were  achieved  at  a  reasonable  cost;  EU-added  value:  the  extent  to 

5 
6 

7 

8 
9 

10 

11 

See Decision N°771/2006/EC, Article 5. 
Multiple discrimination refers to the fact that people are discriminated against on more than one ground 
at a time 
The 27 Member States of the European Union as well as the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and 
Norway). 
A list of National Implementing Bodies can be found in Annex A to the full report. 
DG  EMPL  ensured  that  the  National  Strategies  and  Actions  were  in  line  with  the  objectives  of  the 
EYEO  by  evaluating  and  (if  necessary)  requesting  modifications  to  the  National  Strategies;  paying 
particular  attention  to  the  proper  involvement  of  civil  society;  ensuring  that  all  grounds  of 
discrimination were dealt with fairly; and that a gender perspective was also included.  
With Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway participating in the EYEO and some of the countries planning 
to contribute more than the required 50%, the total planned budget was eventually over 25 million €. 
For a detailed analysis of the actual budget spent (circa 23,5 Mio€), see chapter 4.3 on the efficiency of 
the EYEO of the full report.  
The evaluation was carried out by a consortium comprising of Eureval and Focus Consultancy and led 
by Rambøll Management.  

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
                                                 
which the EYEO produced results which could not have been satisfactorily achieved through 
national initiatives alone; Sustainability: the extent to which the results obtained through the 
EYEO were likely to last beyond 2007.  

The  evaluation  report  relied  on  nine  different  sources  of  information  for  evaluating  the 
EYEO. These, first of all, included documents such as National Strategies and Final Activity 
Reports from the 30 Participant Countries. Secondly, 10 country case studies from Belgium, 
Denmark,  Finland,  Ireland,  Lithuania,  Poland,  Romania,  Slovakia,  Spain  and  the  United 
Kingdom  were  carried  out.  The  report  also  includes  information  from  sources  such  as 
Summary  Information  Sheets  filled  in  by  Action  Leaders  for  each  planned  Action, 
questionnaires  from  Action  Leaders,  questionnaires  from  NIBs,  interviews  with  EU  level 
NGOs  active  in  the  anti-discrimination  field  and  the  European  Commission,  surveys  from 
Eurobarometer  from  2007  and  2008  and  from  Euroflash  200812.  It  also  built  upon  the  final 
report presented by Media Consulta, the contractor responsible for executing -on behalf of the 
Commission- the EU-wide information and promotional campaign, and on the participation of 
the evaluation team in the EYEO opening and closing conferences.  

A logic for the EYEO intervention was developed and its causal links where tested through 
analysis of data available. Where possible the evaluation team has based the analysis on the 
cross-checking of at least three different data sources. However, it must be noted that most of 
the data sources consisted of opinions, statements or assessments expressed by people directly 
involved in the EYEO's implementation. Therefore, to enhance the validity of the data, special 
weight has been given to statements that have been substantiated by concrete examples.  

As part of the overall evaluation of the EYEO, four thematic reports were produced, focussing 
on three grounds of discrimination that are (young and older) age, racial and ethnic origin and 
sexual  orientation  as  well  as  on  gender  mainstreaming.  These  reports  examined  how  and  to 
what  extent  the  four  issues  have  been  addressed  during  the  EYEO  both  at  EU  and  national 
level.  

Relevance and Complementarity  

In general, the stakeholders believed that the type of intervention represented by the EYEO 
was  an  appropriate  way  of  addressing  the  challenges  of  equal  opportunities.  Whereas  some 
stakeholders were initially sceptical about the positive contribution of having to address all six 
of  the  grounds  of  discrimination  at  once,  the  evaluation  shows  that  this  stimulated  an 
increased  cooperation  between  stakeholders  and  impelled  some  countries  to  address  some 
particularly  sensitive  grounds  of  discrimination,  sometimes  for  the  very  first  time.  The  key 
objectives of the EYEO (the 4 Rs) were found to be relevant to the national and European-
level challenges and they provided a relevant framework for the NIBs to develop the national 
EYEO, while allowing wide margins to set their own and respective national objectives.  

The EYEO both complemented well and mutually reinforced other EU initiatives in the field 
of  equal  opportunities,  such  as  those  implemented  by  the  Directorate  General  for 
Employment,  Social  Affairs  and  Equal  Opportunities,  including  PROGRESS,  EQUAL, 
Community Action Programme to combat discrimination, and elsewhere in the Commission 

12 

The Special Eurobarometer 263, “Discrimination in the European Union”, published in January 2007, 
the Special Eurobarometer 296, “Discrimination in the European Union – Perceptions, experiences and 
attitudes”,  published  in  July  2008  and  the  Euroflash  232,  published  in  February  2008,  including  a 
question on the level of awareness of Europeans of the EYEO 2007. 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(Lifelong  Learning,  Fundamental  Rights  and  Citizenship,  the  2008  European  Year  of 
Intercultural Dialogue). 

Implementation 

Overall,  it  is  the  assessment  of  the  evaluator  that  the  implementation  process  and  delivery 
mechanisms fully supported the attainment of the objectives of the EYEO. 

The  management  of  the  EYEO  by  the  Directorate  General  for  Employment,  Social  Affairs 
and Equal Opportunities  was generally very positively assessed by the NIBs.  The  relatively 
late signature and conclusion of grant agreements between the Commission and the NIBs was 
however  seen  as  a  major  obstacle  to  starting  the  process  of  implementation  at  the  national 
level, despite the fact that all Participant Countries were entitled to claim expenses from the 
start of the year. 

A  substantial  majority  of  the  stakeholders  thought  that  the  decentralised  approach  was  both 
appropriate  and  effective.  Without  a  doubt,  this  was  the  implementation  element  that 
produced the highest satisfaction among the stakeholders. A majority of national stakeholders 
considered that the overall management structure of the NIB had helped to achieve effective 
National Strategies and Actions. The direct communication with the NIB rather than with the 
EU  level  was  greatly  appreciated  by  several  Action  Leaders  for  both  linguistic  and 
coordination-related reasons. 

Effectiveness and Efficiency 

The fact that 30 Participant Countries took part in the EYEO and that each of them designed 
for the first time a National Strategy, presenting in particular national challenges around the 
six grounds of discrimination covered by the Article 13 of the EC Treaty, represents the most 
fundamental  success  of  the  EYEO.  Relevant  civil  society  stakeholders  representing  all  six 
grounds of discrimination took part in the design of the National Strategies, and thanks to this 
high level of participation across all countries, coupled with the commitment of all the actors 
involved  in  implementing  activities,  EYEO  managed  to  cover  all  six  grounds  of 
discrimination in a balanced way, thus creating an increased understanding of the need to join 
forces.  434  Actions  were  successfully  implemented  by  434  Action  Leaders  involving  556 
additional  partner  organisations.  1,710  further  implemented  activities  received  moral 
support  across  the  30  Participant  Countries.  The  434  Actions  produced  more  than  1,600 
concrete  outputs,  consisting  of  more  than  1,000  meetings  and  events,  circa  440  information 
and promotion campaigns and over 120 studies and surveys.  

Most of the Actions were implemented at national level and by national authorities, often with 
the NIB as principal Action Leader. Although the importance of the involvement of the local 
level was strongly emphasised by the Participant Countries, it appears that the decentralised 
approach may not have been completely realised beyond the national level.  

The  EYEO  produced  concrete  effects  in  terms  of  raised  awareness  about  discrimination 
issues,  about  the  six  grounds  of  discrimination  and  the  issue  of  multiple  discrimination,  as 
well as about the right to non-discrimination and equal treatment. The effects of the EYEO on 
valuing  the  benefits  value  of  diversity  and  the  need  for  positive  representation  were  more 
limited. 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
The effects resulting from the EYEO on cooperation involving the key stakeholders, such as 
administrative  authorities,  NGOs,  trade  unions,  civil  society  organisations,  organisations 
representing those in risk of being discriminated against, etc. were one of the most interesting 
effects of the EYEO, as they introduced behavioural changes and also opened the door to new 
developments in the future. 

the  Participating  Countries  had 

Although 
identified  national  challenges  concerning 
discrimination  in  employment,  reaching  the  business  sector  seems  to  have  been  particularly 
difficult  and  only  a  limited  number  of  Actions  targeted  the  businesses  and  employers. 
Similarly,  attracting  media  attention  was  a  concern  of  all  NIBs  and  Action  Leaders,  but  in 
practice it proved very difficult to mobilise the media to report on social issues, in particular 
when other more attractive events occurred such as national elections.  

The overall conclusion with regard to the efficiency of the EYEO is that the expected outputs 
of  the  EYEO  were  achieved  at  a  reasonable  cost.  All  the  Participant  Countries  matched  the 
EU grant at the national level and some supplied additional funding. Overall 15,934,407.77 € 
were spent on national Actions during the EYEO, representing an execution rate of 86%. The 
budget  covered  the  four  objectives  of  the  EYEO  equally,  whereas  the  grounds  of  racial  or 
ethnic  origin,  gender  and  disability  benefited  from  higher  budgets  than  the  three  other 
grounds.  

However, there are limitations to these conclusions. For example, the budget for the EU-wide 
information  and  promotional  campaign  is  not  considered  excessive,  but  the  campaign  had 
limited  effectiveness  due  to  design  and  timing  issues,  which  subsequently  reduced  its 
efficiency.  

According  to  the  NIBs  the  majority  of  Actions  delivered  more  outputs  than  expected  at  the 
expected cost. Less than a quarter of the Actions delivered less than expected. Furthermore, 
the  Eurobarometer  surveys  provided  a  valuable  source  of 
information  concerning 
discrimination issues in Europe by measuring attitudes about discrimination before and after 
the EYEO. It is deemed to have been very efficient.  

EU-added value  

The EYEO produced a number of results, which could not have successfully evolved through 
national  initiatives  alone.  This  includes  in  particular  the  outcomes  achieved  by  the  National 
Strategies  and  the  requirement  to  cover  all  grounds  of  discrimination.  The  design  of  the 
National Strategies was also especially important. These programming documents would not 
have been developed, especially not with the intense process of civil society consultation, had 
they not been explicitly requested by the European Commission. The requirement to cover all 
grounds of discrimination in a balanced manner led some countries to increase their focus on 
grounds of discrimination that had not previously been a key focus. This was especially the 
case  for  discrimination  based  on  sexual  orientation  or  for  the  emergence  in  some  Member 
States of new realities, such as the one of transgender people.  

The EU-wide information and promotional campaign contributed the least added value to the 
EYEO implementation at the national level. Issues of “too little, too late and not well enough 
adapted  to  the  national  context  and  the  needs  of  the  NIB”  were  all  raised  regarding  the 
contribution  of  the  EU-wide  activities.  While  some  NIBs  reported  receiving  good  support 
from  these  activities,  others  stated  that  especially  the  resources  of  the  EU-wide  information 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
and  promotional  campaign  could  have  been  used  more  effectively  and  efficiently,  had  they 
been distributed directly to the Participant Countries.  

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
Sustainability and legacy 

Overall,  it  is  the  assessment  of  the  evaluation  team  that  the  results  obtained  by  the  EYEO 
were sustainable and likely to continue beyond 2007.  

According to the Action Leaders, almost 75 per cent  of the 434 Actions were expected to be 
sustained  following  the  end  of  the  EYEO.  In  particular,  the  concepts  and  materials,  which 
were  developed  as  components  of  the  1600  activities  implemented  throughout  the  EYEO, 
were  expected  to  remain  in  use  after  the  EYEO  came  to  an  end.  The  more  than  140  new 
networks and co-operations created during the EYEO were also very likely to continue after 
the end of the EYEO. 

The  strong  involvement  of  not  only  the  European  Commission,  but  also  the  European 
Parliament  and  the  Council  of  Ministers,  in  the  European  Year  is  also  worth  highlighting. 
This  supportive  inter-institutional  process  led  to  the  adoption  of  Council  conclusions  and  a 
Resolution on the follow-up of the EYEO, which invited Member States and the Commission 
to continue their efforts in the field of equal opportunities and anti-discrimination – mainly by 
sustaining the governance mechanisms established during the EYEO, plugging the legislative 
gaps in Article 13’s anti-discrimination legislation, continuing their efforts to raise awareness, 
and  engaging  all  civil  society  actors  and  Social  Partners  in  these  processes,  as  well  as  by 
promoting  the  benefits  of  diversity.  The  expected  long-term  impacts  of  the  EYEO  were 
thereby indeed pursued by its legacy.  

EN 

13 

   EN