The social situation in the European Union 2005-2006

The Balance between Generations in an Ageing Europe

The Social Situation Report � published annually since 2000 � aims at informing the public debate on social policy by providing key data and prospective analysis. It is divided in two parts, a first part devoted to a special topic which is explored in depth and a second part consisting of statistical portraits covering the full range of social policy issues and a data appendix.

The Commission has launched a major debate through its Green Paper of March 2005 on �Confronting demographic change and a new solidarity between the generations�. The Green Paper is being followed up by a Communication on this topic.

We hope that this report will contribute to greater awareness of this issue and in particular a better understanding of its causes. The demographic challenge consists of accelerated ageing of our populations with its consequences for our social welfare systems. But the fact that Europeans can expect to live longer than ever before � and longer than people in almost every other region of the world � is a major achievement.

Local integration policies for migrants in Europe

PROGRESS - The EU programme for employment and social solidarity 2007-2013

Ensuring the Community can play its part to support Member States� commitments to create more and better jobs and offer equal opportunities for all

Europe needs all its citizens to play an active role in society. The diversity of its people, regions and finally EU Member States makes up much of its richness. Since its creation, the EU has linked social values with economic ones to ensure fair access to employment and equal treatment in life. All Member States share these values with governments intervening to create jobs, reduce poverty and social exclusion, provide social protection and promote equal opportunities.

Including people with disabilities

Europe�s equal opportunities strategy

As full citizens, people with disabilities have equal rights and are entitled to dignity, equal treatment, independent living and full participation in society. Enabling people with disabilities to enjoy these rights is at the centre of EU actions. As a result, equality of opportunity underpins Europe�s long-term goals on disability and empowers people with disabilities so that they can fulfil their potential and are able to participate in society.

EURopean Employment Services - Legal base

A collection of texts forming the legal base of EURES

Ever since its launch in 1993, EURES has played a key role as an instrument to improve mobility in the European labour market.

EURES (European Employment Services) is a network for co-operation between the Employment Services of the Member States, their partners and the Commission to exchange information concerning vacancies and applications for employment, curriculae vitae of job applicants, information on the state and trends of the labour market as well as information concerning living and working conditions.

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Catalysts for Change? Equality bodies according to Directive 2000/43/EC

In the Preamble to the Equality Directive, the EU legislator considered that "[p]rotection against discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin would itself be strenghened by the existence of a body or bodies in each Member State, with competence to analyse the problems involved, to study possible solutions and to provide concrete assistance to victims." [Recital 24.] In this light the EU required all Member States to establish "bodies" to assist victims of racial and ethnic discrimination, to conduct surveys about the forms and prevalence of discrimination and to issue reports and recommendations. This report is the result of a study into the extent to which EU Member States had implemented this provision by the end of 2005.

Measuring Discrimination - Data Collection and EU Equality Law

Protection from unequal treatment was significantly strenghened throughout the EU by virtue of the adoption and national implementation of the two EU directives on equal treatment, namely the Racial Equality Directive and the Employment Equality Directive. A significant property if the to directives is that they do not just focus on individual prejudice and its consequence, but on institutional and society patterns and practises. This makes it important to have access to staistical data and to be in a position to utilise such data in a way that is relevant for these purposes.

Religion and Belief Discrimination in Employment - the EU law

The Employment Equality Directive introduced in 2000 requires all Member States to protect againts discrimination on grounds of religion and belief in employment, occupation and vocational training. This report provides an overview of the provisions on religion and belief and examines the approach taken to implementation by Member States.

Putting Equality into Practice: What role for positive action?

2007 is the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. During this year, the EU is putting a particular focus on working towards a society that is free from discrimination, where all have real choices regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, religion, age or disability.
The European Union has come a long way in creating legal rules that give individuals the right to not face discrimination. However, experience has shown that individual complaints and litigation are not suffi cient to bring about full equality in practice.

Equal Rights in Practice

Spring 2007

CONTENTS: EU PROGRAMME AND POLICY DEVELOPMENTS, Taking action: a retrospective of the  Community Action Programme, Looking forward to seven years of PROGRESS, CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP, SPECIAL FOCUS: THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, National Implementing Bodies: the Finnish approach Working for the European Year: a business perspective NGOs and the European Yea, A view from the Committee of the Regions

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European Anti-Discrimination Law Review V

July 2007

In this issue:

Articles on systemic racial discrimination before the ECtHR, the shift in the burden of proof, MEP's reflection on 2007 EU Year of Equal Opportunities, ECJ and echr Case Law Updates, National Legal Developments, European Policy Update

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European handbook on equality data

Why and how to build to a national knowledge base on equality and discrimination on the grounds of racial and ethnic origin, religion and belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.

Eurobarometer 2007 - Discrimination in the European Union

The report presents the findings from a survey about discrimination and inequality in Europe that was carried out by TNS Opinion & Social on behalf of the European Commission DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities in the twenty-five Member States of the European Union and in the two acceding countries between 7 June and 12 July 2006.

The findings from this survey provide a good insight into the perceptions, attitudes, knowledge and awareness of discrimination and inequality in the European Union in 2006. In the report the six legally prohibited forms of discrimination in the EU are examined: discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, age, disability and sexual orientation.

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