The Costs and Benefits of Diversity

October 2003

Companies who implement diversity policies - that is policies that seeks to encourage a mix of races, sexual orientations, religions, physical disabilities, ages and sexes within the workplace - can expect benefits in the short and long term. These are the results of a new report, carried out for the European Commission. �The Costs and Benefits of Diversity� report points to short and medium term benefits, such as improved cash flow through resolving labour shortages, opening up new markets, reducing costs and improving performance in existing markets, as well as long term benefits, including building a differentiated reputation with key stakeholders and customers and improving the quality of human capital.

 Download document (PDF-file) 232 KB

Equality, Diversity and Enlargement

September 2003

As the second deadline this year approaches for putting EU rules on anti-discrimination into national law, the Commission is publishing independent research on legislation in candidate countries regarding discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation. The study shows that there has been progress, but there is still work to be done if the candidates are to comply with the Directives by 1 May 2004.

 Download document (PDF-file) 856KB

Eurobarometer

May 2003

Most Europeans believe that a person's ethnic origin, religion, disability, or age can be an obstacle in finding a job, even where qualifications are equal. This was one of the key findings of the European Union�s Eurobarometer survey entitled �Discrimination in Europe�.

 Download document (PDF-file) 364KB

Breaking the Barriers � Romani Women and Access to Public Health Care

The situation of the Romani community in various parts of Europe has become a benchmark of our development in the field of fundamental rights and social justice. As this report demonstrates, the situation of Romani women in relation to health care is poor and emphasizes how much needs to be done. Numerous other reports in a whole host of fields from employment to education also highlight the plight of members of the Romani community. Advances in social protection, health, housing availability, educational attainment and similar indicators of development will remain tarnished if they are not to the benefit of all members of society.

 Download document (PDF-file) 745 KB

Annual Report on EU Equality and Non-Discrimination Policy 2003

2003

A new European Commission report on measures to combat discrimination is now available on the stop-discrimination website The report sets out in clear and accessible language what the EU is doing this year to stamp out discrimination on the grounds of ethnic and racial origin, race and religion, disability, age and sexual orientation. It examines the new European laws coming into force this year and gives an overview of the EU's �100 million Community Action Programme to combat Discrimination, which is funding a range of activities and projects across the Union � including the information campaigns. It also highlights practical examples of the kind of action underway in different EU countries to reduce discrimination and to give people equal chances and opportunities.

 Download document (PDF-file) 1.54MB