EU Non-Discrimination Law and Policy - A Future Mandate?

EU non-discrimination law is coming of age. It has inspired a number of non-legal actions and attracted Commission funding for a number of experts.

This seminar was organised by Professor Dagmar Schiek as part of her work as the Jean Monnet ad personam Chair

EU non-discrimination law is coming of age. Since 2000, the policy field embraces six aspects of diversity (racial and ethnic origin, religion and belief, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation) and spans a body of no less than eight directives. It has inspired a number of non-legal actions and attracted Commission funding for a number of experts.

During the same time, EU social policy has become ever more elusive, while the enlarged EU internal market has been criticized for triggering a downward spiral in national social levels. The EU is criticised for (ab)using non-discrimination law as its own brand of social policy, relying on overly market oriented arguments. At the same time, there are also doubts whether an EU non-discrimination law worthy of its name could exist in a European Union which institutionalizes discrimination of non-EU citizens on grounds of their immigrant status.

In spite of these criticisms, EU non-discrimination law and policy is praised as a success story of European integration and a socio-legal field in its own right.

Presentations include

• Unlocking the true ‘social’ potential of EU non-discrimination law

Dr Colm O’Cinneide, UCL

• Is European discrimination law breaking up old labour law traditions?

Professor Daniel Cuypers, University of Antwerp (Presenter) and Christian Bayart, Allen&Overy-Belgium and University of Antwerp

• Gender equality law and policy for 15 or for 27? Lessons from post-communist Czech Republic

Barbara Havelková, University of Cambridge and University of Oxford

Opening / Closing Remarks

Professor Dagmar Schiek, University of Leeds

Programme (PDF: 761KB)

Abstracts and Biographical Information

Download abstracts (PDF: 736KB)

Download biographies (PDF: 543KB)

Location Details

Moot Court Room (LT1.28)
The Liberty Building
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 9JT

The Liberty building is number 16 on the campus map