The road to equality - developing the protection against discrimination on racial or ethnic grounds within the European Union.

Abstract

In 2000, the European Union adopted a Directive against discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin. This Directive was one of the first legislative measures taken by the EU in the fight against racism and racial discrimination. The Thesis examines whether the Directive improves the protection against discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin for people within the EU by an in-depth analysis and evaluation of the Directive as a whole in relation to the theoretical concepts of race and racism and of models of anti discrimination law. This analysis includes a discussion of the need for and the effectiveness of legislation in general and of legislation at EU level in the fight against racism and racial discrimination and an evaluation of the anti discrimination clauses of the international and European human rights instruments. The Directive is studied in these wider contexts because they have all been influential upon its development and because they provide both the framework and a set of standards for the examination and evaluation of the Race Directive and its effectiveness in protecting people within the EU against racial or ethnic origin discrimination. The Thesis concludes with an assessment of how far the EU has come on the road to equality with the adoption of the Directive and the subsequent developments; or, in other words, how far the EU has progressed towards achieving equality for all people in Europe.