MEPs have failed to reach an understanding on the highly controversial question of the wearing of religious symbols in the workplace. Despite the preparatory work by Renate Weber (ALDE, Romania), they refused to condemn the overall ban in the workplace and preferred to send the question back to the member states to deal with.
The report by Renate Weber assesses the implementation of the 2000/78/EEC directive on equal treatment. This directive was adopted 16 years ago and provides a general framework in an attempt to ensure respect of equal treatment for people in the workplace, whatever their religion or convictions, possible disability, age or sexual orientation.
The chapter on religion and convictions is certainly the most interesting. The employment and social affairs committee reached an agreement in July to condemn random bans on wearing the veil and indicated that "the restrictions imposed by the employers… are not always in step with international standards on human rights, given that they are not restricted to particular well-defined circumstances or that they do not pursue a legitimate objective". Nonetheless, the plenary decided to insist "on the fact that religious freedom is an important principle that should be respected by employers". They stated, however, that "the application of this principle is a question relating to subsidiarity". This question should nvertheless be tackled over the next few months by the European Court of Justice, which has been requested by a French court to look at the following case (C-188/15 Bougnaoui and ADDH/Micropole SA).
For all other issues relating to the dossier, the non-legislative resolution regrets the increasing number of cases of discrimination and harassment, including those committed in the workplace, and deplores the general under-reporting of all kinds of discrimination. It also recommends the adoption of European frameworks for the implementation of national strategies that seek to tackle anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)