EU developments
A landmark treaty was adopted in December 2006 by the UN General Assembly. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first legally-binding Convention which protects and promotes the rights of people with disabilities, including those with psycho-social disabilities (mental health problems) or intellectual disabilities. Its ratification will influence the revision of laws, politics and programmes implemented in various countries and in the European Union (the European Community is one of the signatories). The Convention is supplemented by an Optional Protocol which will allow individuals to petition a Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on alleged violations of the Convention once all domestic forms of recourse have been exhausted.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol entered into force on 3 May 2008.
December 2007 marked the adoption of the new Treaty for the European Union (Treaty of Lisbon) and a legally binding citizens' rights charter. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union will give European citizens a catalogue of rights legally binding on the institutions and bodies of the European Union and on the Member States when they are implementing EU law.
Since 2000, in addition to laws covering the equal treatment of men and women, EU anti-discrimination legislation has been in place to ensure minimum levels of equal treatment and protection for everyone living and working in Europe. These laws are designed to ensure equal treatment irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, religion and belief, disability, sexual orientation, and age.
The laws address equal treatment in many aspects of daily life - from the workplace, to issues covering education, healthcare and access to goods and services.
In 2007, the Commission reviewed existing legislation and came to the conclusion that "the level of protection against discrimination based on religion and belief, age, disability and sexual orientation is lower than that afforded in the case of discrimination based on race". The Commission thus concluded that a new initiative was necessary and made its proposal a priority for 2008.
On 2 July 2008 - after intensive lobbying from Members of Parliament (MEPs), non governmental organisations and trade unions - the Commission made public its proposal for a directive which provides for protection from discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief beyond the workplace.
The EU declared 2007 the "European Year of Equal Opportunities for All ".
The 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All sought to make people in the European Union more aware of their rights to equal treatment and to a life free of discrimination. The Year also launched a major debate on the benefits of diversity both for European societies and individuals.
The activities undertaken during the Year intended to tackle the discrimination faced by many people based on their gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) started its work in March 2007. The Agency, based in Vienna (Austria), will provide valuable insights to the European institutions and Member States in matters relating to fundamental rights.
FRA will collect, record, analyse and disseminate data, carry out research, formulate conclusions and opinions, raise awareness on fundamental rights issues and cooperate with civil society and non-governmental organisations through an official cooperation network, the Fundamental Rights Platform.
The Platform, which will be coordinated by the Agency's Director, will mainly make suggestions to the Agency's Management Board (MB) on the Annual Work Programme, give feedback to the MB on the Annual Report on Fundamental Rights, and communicate the outcomes and recommendations of conferences and meetings to the Director and Scientific Committee of the Agency. The first meeting of the Fundamental Rights Platform will take place on 7-8 October in Vienna.