25
January
2012

Combating racial discrimination

The Racial Equality Directive (2000/43/EC), adopted in 2000, has made important changes to the way that racial discrimination is combated in the European Union. Only a handful of EU Member States already had detailed laws and mechanisms to prohibit racial discrimination before the directive was adopted; the vast majority have had to make significant
improvements to comply with the directive.

All EU Member States were supposed to change their laws to comply with the requirements of the directive. However, the European Commission has had to engage in talks with some governments as it did not think that they had made all the necessary legislative changes.

Almost all EU Member States have created equality bodies as required. Many Member States have gone further than
required and given equality bodies additional powers.