EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WELCOMES PROPOSED NEW ANTI-DISCRIMINATION DIRECTIVE

12.00.00am GMT Wed 12th Dec 2007

Liz Lynne MEP (UK, ALDE) has welcomed the adoption today of a European Parliament resolution on the European Commission's work programme for 2008, which clearly supported a proposal by the European Commission to bring forward a new directive to complete the EU's antidiscrimination package and outlaw discrimination in access to goods and services on all grounds.

Commenting, Liz, who is Vice President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee and Vice President of the European Parliament's Disability Intergroup said:

"I am delighted the European Parliament has today supported the European Commission's bold proposal for further legislation in the anti-discrimination field to outlaw discrimination in goods and services; many of us have been campaigning for this for years.

"It is clear there is now a broad consensus in both the Council of Ministers and the Parliament that it simply doesn't make sense to outlaw discrimination in one area and then allow it in another and I hope we will soon see a clear timetable for a new comprehensive directive from the European Commission."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Liz Lynne is currently the European Parliament's rapporteur for a report on "progress made in equal opportunities and antidiscrimination in the EU" which is currently passing through the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee.

The European Parliament has long called for new measures to provide protection for all individuals from discrimination on all grounds in the fields of goods and services, as well as better implementation of the current framework directive outlawing discrimination in employment and training.