Equality

Equality, non-discrimination and racism

Equality is a core value of the EU. You have the right to fair treatment regardless of who you are, what you believe, or how you chose to live.

We carry out research and share expertise to help fight discrimination, inequality and racism in all its forms.

Highlights

Products
Report / Paper / Summary
April
2005
This summary provides an insight into the extent of, and policy responses to, racist violence in the EU15. To this end they provide an overview of current knowledge about and responses to racist violence, by the State and civil society, in individual Member States.
26
January
2010
The European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) conducted European-wide research in 2009 on the contribution of memorial sites to Holocaust education and human rights education in the European Union (EU). This summary report, derived from the main report 'Discover the past for the future. The role of historical sites and museums in Holocaust education and human rights education in the EU', provides selected findings, discussion points and recommendations.
Report / Paper / Summary
10
October
2010
Racism and ethnic discrimination in sport have increasingly become a public issue in European sport over the past decades. This report examines the occurrence and different forms of racism, ethnic discrimination and exclusionary practices in sports, focusing on different sports and levels of practice in the EU.
7
December
2010
The arrival of thousands of separated children in the European Union from third countries poses a serious challenge to EU institutions and Member States, since, according to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, they have a duty to care for and protect children. This summary highlights the key findings of the FRA research on separated, asylum-seeking children in EU Member States.
20
June
2012
This year‘s summary of the FRA Annual report – Highlights 2011 – chronicles the positive developments made in 2011 as well as the challenges facing the EU and its Member States in the field of fundamental rights, drawing on objective, reliable and comparable socio-legal data.
1
December
2007
Equal Voices 22 "Being an older woman is disadvantageous and being additionally a minority, even more so", says Naina Patel in this Equal Voices.
Fundamental Rights Report
12
June
2003
This report provides an account of the activities and achievements of the EUMC during 2002, and was presented on 12 June 2003 to the European Parliament, the Council ...
Report / Paper / Summary
1
June
2008
The Annual Report 2008 is the first to be produced on the basis of the FRA legal base and mandate (Council Regulation 168//2007, art. 4.1(e)). This summary highlights information, events and developments related to racism and xenophobia in the EU for the year 2007 which are contained in the 2008 Annual Report.
1
October
2006
This issue of Equal Voices seeks to give an overview of the main questions around the ‘integration debate' at the EU level: What is the context of the current debate? How is integration defined? Can integration be measured, and how? What should integration policies look like?

May
2009
This report focuses on respondents who identified themselves as Muslims, and is the second in a series of EU-MIDIS ‘Data in Focus' reports exploring different results from the survey. Up to nine ‘Data in Focus' reports are planned. Given the shortage of extensive, objective and comparable data on Muslims in the European Union, EU-MIDIS provides, for the first time, comparable data on how Muslims across the EU experience discrimination and victimisation.
June
2008
The report examines the situation of homophobia in the 27 EU Member States. It analyses comparatively key legal provisions, relevant judicial data, such as court decisions, and case law in the Member States. In addition, the report identifies and highlights 'good practice' in the form of positive measures and initiatives to overcome underreporting of LGBT (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals) discrimination, to promote inclusion and to protect transgender persons. FRA's legal analysis is the first of two reports related to homophobia and discrimination experienced by members of the LGBT community.
Fundamental Rights Report
1
June
2008
The Annual Report 2008 is the first to be produced on the basis of the FRA legal base and mandate (Council Regulation 168//2007, art. 4.1(e)). It covers information, events and developments related to racism and xenophobia in the EU for the year 2007, which was the Agency's focus of work prior to the adoption of its Multiannual Framework in February 2008. The report summarises the findings of the Agency's on-going data collection through its RAXEN National Focal Points (NFPs) in each of the 27 Member States of the EU.
2
February
2011
The Fundamental Rights Agency publishes its first report on multiple discrimination: EU-MIDIS Data in Focus 5: ‘Multiple Discrimination' which focuses on perceptions of multiple discrimination experiences by respondents of ethnic or immigrant origin, compared with the general population.
Fundamental Rights Report
1
August
2007
Unequal treatment continues in employment, housing and education, according to data collected by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Figures for racist crime in 2005 and 2006 are up in a number of EU countries. While there are more signs that the EU's anti-discrimination legislation is having a positive impact, victims of discrimination still lack knowledge of the new rules.
21
July
2011
The 2003-2008 update on the exclusion and discrimination of migrants, minorities and employment in the 27 EU Member States provides a comparative overview and analysis of data and information documenting discrimination in the workplaces and labour markets across the European Union.
Report / Paper / Summary
29
September
2011
This report examines what the Treaty of Lisbon means for the protection of minorities, and the policies the EU has recently adopted in this field. It provides evidence of the still persistent phenomenon of discrimination found in many areas of life, including employment, housing, healthcare and education.
2
June
2009
The FRA publishes its report "Homophobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the EU Member States: Part II - The Social Situation". The report finds that discrimination, harassment and violence against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) persons are widespread throughout the EU. The FRA calls on political decision-makers to further improve equality legislation and ensure accurate reporting, in order to improve the situation.
Report / Paper / Summary
2
March
2009
The Agency has published on 2nd March its new "Antisemitism Summary overview of the situation in the European Union 2001-2008". This publication is the 5th update of its 2004 report "Manifestations of antisemitism in the EU" with new statistical data.
27
October
2010
Social marginalisation and discrimination have severe consequences for any society – both need to be addressed as a priority, as they are directly linked to violent behaviour in young people. This research shows a high degree of overlap between three EU Member States when considering explanatory factors to violent attitudes or acts of violence committed by young people.
On 20 June in Brussels, FRA took part in the first meeting of the European Commission working group on the implementation of the Council Declaration on the fight against antisemitism.
Many people across the EU risk being left behind, as growing intolerance and attacks on people’s fundamental rights continue to erode the considerable progress achieved to date, finds FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2019.
The summary outlining the main findings of FRA’s second survey on Jewish people’s experiences of hate crime, discrimination and antisemitism in the EU – the biggest survey of Jewish people ever conducted worldwide - are now available online in 12 languages: Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian Spanish and Swedish.
Across Europe, recent elections and referendums have made one thing very clear: voting matters. How we vote – and whether we vote at all – can change our societies for generations.
Karoline Edtstadler, State Secretary at the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, and Ariel Muzicant, Vice-President of the European Jewish Congress, will speak at an event in Vienna on 30 April which addresses antisemitism in Austria.
Too many people with an ethnic or migrant background are still being held back in the job market. This is despite laws against racial discrimination and for equal opportunities in employment that have been in place for decades, the heads of three European human rights institutions said in a joint statement on today’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Across the EU, many Member States are improving their equality data to help policymakers combat discrimination and challenge prejudices. To inspire others, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has just published an online compendium of nearly 40 practices from 15 countries on the collection and use of equality data.
Antisemitic hate speech, harassment and fear of being recognised as Jewish; these are some of the realities of being Jewish in the EU today. It appears to be getting worse, finds a major repeat survey of Jews from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the largest ever of its kind worldwide.
Black people in the EU face unacceptable difficulties in simply finding somewhere to live or getting a decent job because of their skin colour, according to findings from a major repeat survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. Racist harassment also remains all too common.
Nearly 60% of Europeans consider being old a disadvantage when looking for work. Societies often view older people as burdens. Too often we overlook the basic human rights of our older people. This year, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in its 2018 Fundamental Rights Report explores how a rights-based approach towards respect for older people is starting to happen.
Promoting equality and combating racism are essential to fortify social cohesion and democratic security, the heads of three European human rights institutions said in a joint statement on today’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
A major new survey investigating discrimination and hate crime against Jews living in the European Union will start in 2018, led by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
The vast majority of Muslims in the EU have a high sense of trust in democratic institutions despite experiencing widespread discrimination and harassment, a major survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) shows. The survey captures the experiences of Muslim immigrants and their EU-born children, revealing that public attitudes have changed all too little over the last decade.
Promoting inclusion and mutual respect through education and strong positive narratives are essential to prevent incitement to hatred and counter hate speech in the digital age, the heads of three European human rights institutions said in a joint statement on today’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Widespread deprivation is destroying Roma lives. Families are living excluded from society in shocking conditions, while children with little education face bleak prospects for the future, a new report from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) shows. The report analyses the gaps in Roma inclusion around the EU to guide Member States seeking to improve their integration policies.
Over one million people sought refuge in the EU in 2015, a fivefold increase from the year before. In its Fundamental Rights Report 2016, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) examines the scale and nature of the challenge and proposes measures to ensure fundamental rights are respected across the EU.
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the heads of Europe’s main intergovernmental human rights institutions call for a strong response to xenophobic attacks against migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and call on governments and state authorities to uphold their international obligations in this regard.
Research by FRA shows that racism and xenophobia are a widespread problem in Europe today. As support for xenophobic and anti-migrant agendas grows, FRA calls in a special contribution to the European Commission’s first annual colloquium on fundamental rights for targeted awareness-raising measures, better data collection, and more effective access to justice for victims. The persistent lack of data is central to the Agency’s annual overview of data on antisemitism in the EU, which is also published today.
Record numbers of migrants died as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe in 2014. Member States should therefore consider offering more legal possibilities for people in need of international protection to enter the EU, as viable alternatives to risky irregular entry. This is one of the conclusions from this year’s Annual report which looks at developments across the EU in many areas over 2014.
The most effective way to counter hate speech is to reinforce the values of democracy and human rights that it threatens, the heads of three intergovernmental human rights institutions said today in a joint statement on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.