European Parliament starts work on EU-wide action plan for LGBT rights
This week the European Parliament released a study on a potential EU roadmap for LGBT equality. Such an EU action plan would draw together new laws and policies to strengthen equality and non-discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in the EU.
The research was requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
It comes after the European Parliament’s repeated calls for the European Commission to produce a roadmap.
Roadmaps are policy documents that summarise and plan EU action on a given topic over several years. Similar documents include an EU Strategy for equality between women and men 2010-2015; the European Disability Strategy; or the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies.
Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP, Vice-President of the LGBT Intergroup in the European Parliament, commented: “I welcome this new study, which will help us draw the skeleton of what the LGBT Roadmap should include.”
“The European Parliament, and the ALDE Group in particular, has asked the Commission to come up with a Roadmap for equality for LGBT people regularly since January last year. Such a policy would cost very little if anything, and ensure the EU delivers on its promise of equality and anti-discrimination.”
Michael Cashman MEP, Co-President of the LGBT Intergroup, added: “An LGBT Roadmap would ensure the Commission, the Council and the Parliament are effectively committed to equality across all EU activities.”
“Viviane Reding is the first ever EU Commissioner with a fundamental rights portfolio, and I am convinced she will take up this call before the end of her mandate in 2014. Equality cannot wait.
The European Parliament is now awaiting the results of a survey by the Fundamental Rights Agency on the situation of LGBT people in the EU and Croatia, due in the first half of 2013.
