Bulgaria / Supreme Administrative Court / 10383/2015

Key facts of the case:

Ms E.P.D. appeals a decision by the Sofia City Administrative Court (SCAC) (Административен съд София – град, АССГ) rejecting her appeal against a decision of the Commission for the Protection against Discrimination (CPD) (Комисия за защита от дискриминация, КЗД) A mother of a pupil filed a complaint before the CPD against the director of the pupil’s elementary school and her teacher for discrimination on the grounds of personal situation and disability, as the pupil was refused to go on a school excursion – an alleged violation of Art. 4, para. 2 of the Protection against Discrimination Act (Закон за защита от дискриминация). The CPD found no discriminatory attitude on the part of the director, but the teacher was found to have directly discriminated against the pupil, refusing to allow her on the excursion due to her disability. The teacher was fined. The Sofia City Administrative Court rejected the teacher’s appeal and confirmed the Commission’s decision.

Outcome of the case:

SAC confirms the lower court’s decision and thus the Commission’s decision rejecting the teacher’s appeal. The SAC reasons that the protection of people with disabilities is regulated in the CRPD and on EU level, including in the Charter. When enrolling the child, the school had been notified of her condition, the child had previously taken part in school excursions and had even paid for the one in question. However, the teacher had reimbursed the parents’ money and refused to take the child as her condition would cause the teacher worries. Thus, the teacher indeed treated the pupil differently under a protected ground, disability, in comparison with her classmates – she refused to include the pupil in the excursion due to her prejudice and fear of the pupil’s disability.
Paragraphs referring to EU Charter

„Article 10 of the TFEU requires that, in defining and implementing its policies and activities, the Union shall aim to combat discrimination based on disability, while Art. 19 gives the Union the power to take appropriate action to combat discrimination; Art. 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights postulates that human dignity is inviolable and it must be respected and protected. Art. 24 gives children the right to ‘such protection and care as is necessary for their well-being’, and ‘in all actions relating to children, whether taken by public authorities or private institutions, the child's best interests must be a primary consideration’. Art. 26 specifically recognises and respects ‘the right of persons with disabilities to benefit from measures designed to ensure their independence, social and occupational integration and participation in the life of the community’. Specific prohibition of any direct or indirect discrimination is also provided for in Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, prohibiting discrimination based on religion or conviction, disability, age or sexual orientation in the spheres, regulated by the document and aims to apply the principle of equal treatment. In its Article 7, the Directive recognizes the right of Member States to adopt specific measures to prevent or compensate for disadvantages linked to any of the protected grounds“
Paragraphs referring to EU Charter (original language)

„Договорът за функциониране на Европейския съюз изисква, чл. 10, при определянето и осъществяването на своите политики и дейности Съюзът да се бори срещу всяка форма на дискриминация, основана на увреждане, а чл. 19 предоставя на Съюза правомощието да приема законодателни актове за справяне с дискриминацията; В чл. 1 от Х. на основните права на Европейския съюз определя, че човешкото достойнство е ненакърнимо и трябва да се зачита и уважава. Член 24 предвижда право на децата „на закрила и на грижите, необходими за тяхното благоденствие“, както и че „при всички действия, които се предприемат от публичните власти или частни институции по отношение на децата, висшият интерес на детето трябва да бъде от първостепенно значение“. Член 26 изрично признава и зачита „правата на хората с увреждания да се ползват от мерки, които осигуряват тяхната автономност, социалната и професионалната им интеграция и участието им в живота на общността“. Изрична забрана за всяка пряка или непряка дискриминация е предвидена и в Директива 2000/78/ЕО на Съвета за създаване на основна рамка на равно третиране в областта на заетостта и професиите, като се забранява дискриминиране, основаващо се на религия или убеждения, увреждане, възраст или сексуална ориентация в сферите, предмет на регулиране от нея и цели прилагане на принципа на равно третиране. Директивата изрично в чл. 7, признава правото на държавите-членки да приемат специфични мерки за предотвратяване или компенсиране на неравностойно положение, свързано със защитените признаци.“

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Bulgaria / Supreme Administrative Court / 10383/2015

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