Article 13 EC: the European Kommissions proposal for a horizontal employment directive

In brief, the proposed general framework directive on equal treatment in employment essentially seeks to extend further the existing protection in EU law against sex and nationality discrimination. Therefore, discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation is forbidden. Employment is defined widely; it includes all types of vocational training, self-employment and participation in employee/employer organisations (Article 3). The proposal moves significantly beyond the 1976 Equal Treatment Directive [2], however, in its express prohibition of direct and indirect discrimination, and the inclusion of harassment within the definition of unlawful discrimination (Article 2). There is provision for positive action measures (Article 6), as well as allowance for a shift in the burden of proof in action to enforce the equal treatment principle (Article 9). Member States are under an obligation to establish "adequate sanctions" for a breach of the directive, and in particular such sanctions must be "effective, proportionate and dissuasive" (Article 14). One might expect that the proposal for the "horizontal" directive would take a non-hierarchical approach and not distinguished between the various named grounds. However, in spite of the Commission's claims to the contrary, an examination of the proposal reveals that four of the seven covered grounds receive special attention m the text, and that articles provide for a specific extensions or limitations of the proposed directive with reqard to these grounds. These grounds are the following: disability in Article 2(4), religion and belief m Article 4(2) and age in Article 5.

Amsterdamo sutartimi pakeitus EB Sutartį pastarosios 13 straipsnis suteikė Bendrijai kompetenciją priimti priemones, skirtas kovoti su diskriminacija lyties, rasinės ar etninės kilmės, religijos ar įsitikinimų, neįgalumo, amžiaus arba seksualinės orientacijos pagrindu. Straipsnyje nagrinėjami Europos Komisijos veiksmai šioje srityje. Autorė nagrinėja 1999 m. lapkritį Europos Komisijos pateiktą nediskriminavimo įsidarbinant ir dirbant pagrindą, reglamentuojantį Tarybos direktyvos projektą, atskirus diskriminavimo pagrindus. Ypač daug dėmesio skiriama neįgaliųjų bei vyresnio amžiaus asmenų padėties reglamentavimui bei diskriminacijos dėl religijos ir įsitikinimų uždraudimui.