The directive on equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation will continue its journey through the EU Council in the hands of Sweden. On Friday 25 November, almost a month before the end of its term, the Czech Presidency presented its progress report to the Member States’ deputy ambassadors to the European Union (‘Coreper I’).
Although the Member States are in favour of a horizontal directive on discrimination, the Czech Republic feels that it is far from having the necessary unanimity. At the heart of the discussions are the deadlines for transposing the directive and reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities (see EUROPE 13032/16).
The Presidency therefore proposed to add an additional and optional transposition period of two years to allow for reasonable adjustments, which would have brought the total transposition period to 6 years. This proposal was met with reluctance from the European Commission and some national delegations.
However, the Presidency received more support on the deletion of the possibility for Member States to request a temporary derogation from the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation. Similarly, the Presidency believes that it has received strong support from Member States in terms of their compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The Equal Treatment Directive has been blocked in the EU Council since 2008. In a report adopted in mid-November, MEPs from the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) called on the Commission to consider “specific measures” in case the impasse is further prolonged (see EUROPE 13065/22).
To read the progress report: https://aeur.eu/f/4ah (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)