Source: European Parliament
1. Striving for equality for all and equality in all of its senses continues to be central to the Commission’s work to comprehensively tackle discrimination in the EU. This is why the Commission is fully committed to continue leading efforts at the EU level to do more for everyone to live freely, thrive and lead, regardless of who they are, particularly with the new strategies to be adopted on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) equality, anti-racism and gender equality, the full implementation of the Strategic framework for Roma equality[1], the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities[2] and the recent adoption of the Roadmap for women’s rights[3].
2. In line with the interinstitutional agreement on better law making[4], the Commission provided the reasons proposing the intended withdrawal in the Annex IV of the 2025 Commission work programme, together with a time indication[5]. The Commission will take due account of the positions of the European Parliament and the Council before deciding on the withdrawal of the proposal.
3. The proposal for the Equal Treatment Directive[6] file has been under discussion for almost 17 years and almost every Presidency has placed the file on the agenda of the Council, including the comprehensive efforts to arrive at a compromise text of the Belgian Presidency during the first half of 2024. However, despite all these efforts and the Commission comprehensively supporting the legislative process, it has not been possible to reach the required unanimity and there is no clear prospect that unanimity could be reached in the foreseeable future.
- [1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1813.
- [2] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030_en.
- [3] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_681.
- [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/2016/512/oj/eng.
- [5] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/7617998c-86e6-4a74-b33c-249e8a7938cd_en?filename=COM_2025_45_1_annexes_EN.pdf.
- [6] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52008PC0426.