The European Union (EU) adopted two prominent pieces of legislation in 2000 aimed at efficiently fighting discrimination.

The Racial Equality Directive and the Employment Equality Directive together create a well-developed anti-discrimination framework. Their wide-ranging scope, precedence over and direct effect on national systems resulted in a robust legislative package that left no doubt of the EU’s legal commitment to protect those living in its territory from discrimination.

Despite this decisive and influential step and the resulting progress made in many EU Member States’ legal systems, evidence gathered by FRA shows that discrimination remains part of the daily experience of too many Europeans. Looking into the reasons for the divide between the law on the books and the situation on the ground, FRA has identified various factors that prevent more effective implementation of legal provisions and other mechanisms designed to improve protection against discrimination.