All 28 member states of the European Union now have laws prohibiting discrimination based upon race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation, following the 2000 Employment Equality Directive and Race Equality Directive. However, as reported in the Balkans.com Business News, a new EU report notes that lack of public awareness of employee rights and the underreporting of discrimination cases has limited the actual effect of the laws.

The EU is attempting to raise public awareness of these laws by publishing a practical guide for victims of discrimination. “The Commission’s guide for victims includes specific guidance on how to present and pursue a discrimination claim, while the Commission funds training for legal practitioners and NGOs representing victims of discrimination in how to apply EU equality law.”

Importantly, the EU is attempting to implement the Council Recommendation on Roma inclusion (IP/13/1226) adopted last month to deal with the unique and serious discrimination against the Roma people, and “Member States’ national Roma integration strategies or integrated sets of policy measures within their broader social inclusion policies for improving the situation of Roma.”