ETUC and Social Platform urge EU policy makers to take more effective action on equality
At today’s Equality Summit organised by the Swedish Presidency in Stockholm, the European trade union movement and social NGOs presented a joint declaration to representatives of Member States and EU institutions to combat discrimination in the EU. In their view, equality and non-discrimination policies are an indispensable ingredient of any sustainable perspective for economies, societies and labour markets in Member States and the European Union.
The declaration, titled “Fight discrimination and guarantee equality for all”, was issued by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Social Platform. It urged decision makers to take action on the following six points:
1) Ensure the adoption by the European Council of the proposed Article 13 Directive protecting against discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, religion or belief, and sexual orientation in all areas of life
2) Tackle remaining gender gaps in gender equality policies and legislation and ensure effective implementation of gender mainstreaming in all EU policies
3) Mainstream equality in all EU policies
4) Invest in strong social policies and public services that support equality
5) Develop rights-based migration and integration policies
6) Work in strong partnership with trade unions and civil society organisations at European and national level
Catelene Passchier, Confederal Secretary, ETUC, said: “The fight for equality in Europe requires new legal and policy initiatives from the EU institutions and Member States, as well as greater commitment to ensure equality in practice. This cannot be achieved without a greater involvement of social partners and especially trade unions and organised civil society.”
Myria Vassiliadou, Vice-President, Social Platform, added: “If we want equality in Europe to become a reality, the EU institutions and the Swedish and upcoming EU Presidencies must strongly commit themselves to following up on this declaration.”
Joint declaration to the EU and Member States
More information:
SOCIAL PLATFORM Mehran Khalili Communications Officer Tel: +32 (2) 508 1632 E-mail: mehran.khalili@socialplatform.org
ETUC Patricia Grillo ETUC Head of Press and Communications Tel: + 32 (0)2 224 04 30 – GSM: + 32 (0)477 77 01 64 E-mail: Pgrillo@etuc.org
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