Time for Action to Advance LGBTI Equality

1. Time for Action to Advance LGBTI Equality Wester Meijdam DG Justice and Consumers – European Commission, Bologna 4 June

2. The EU in brief The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union between 28 European countries The EU is based on the rule of law: everything it does is founded on treaties, voluntary and democratically agreed by its member countries. The EU is governed by the principle of representative democracy, with citizens directly represented at Union level in the European Parliament and Member States represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU. The European Commission is the EU's politically independent executive arm. It is responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

3. European Commission Political leadership is provided by a team of 28 Commissioners (one from each EU country) and led by the Commission President. The day-to-day running of Commission business is performed by its staff, that are organised into departments known as Directorates-General (DGs), each responsible for a specific policy area.

4. EU LegislationLegal Basis for Action • Art.19 TFEU • “ … the Council acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission and after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament, may take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.”

5. Charter of Fundamental Rights Article 21: Non-discrimination • 1. Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.

6. LGBTI Definitions • A Lesbian is a woman whose enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction is to other women. • Gay is often used to describe a man whose enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction is to other men, although the term can be used to describe • both gay men and lesbians. • Bisexual describes an individual who is physically, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to both men and women. Transgender describes people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. • The term intersex covers bodily variations in regard to culturally established standards of maleness and femaleness, including variations at the level of chromosomes, gonads and genitals.

7. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (Graph) World Value Survey (Data) Social Acceptance

8. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (Graph) World Value Survey (Data) Social Acceptance

9. Social Acceptance Source: Eurobarometer on Discrimination in the EU 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2015* *The number of EU MS has changed since 2006 and the wording of the question has slightly changed over the years, which both influence the possibility to compare the data from each survey.

10. Highest political office

11. Colleagues who are LGB

12. Transgender Colleague

13. Civil Documents

14. FRA LGBT Survey

15. Transgender population

16. List of Actions • I. Improving rights of LGBTI people and • their families in key areas of • EU competence. • II. Strong monitoring and enforcement of • existing rights of LGBTI people under • EU law • III. Reaching citizens, fostering diversity • and non-discrimination • IV. Supporting key actors responsible • to advance LGBTI rights in the EU • V. Figures and facts for policy makers on • LGBTI challenges: Data collection and • research activities • VI. External action: LGBTI issues in • Enlargement, Neighbourhood and • Third countries.

17. Improving Rights • 1 Grounds of discrimination: Race, Ethnic Origin, Age, Religion or Belief, Sexual Orientation, Sex, Disability • 2 Areas of protection: employment, social protection (including social security), healthcare, education, housing, and access to good and services

18. The Proposed Equal Treatment Directive: Filling the gaps

19. Monitoring and enforcement of existing rights of LGBTI people - Directives on Gender Equality in Employment and Occupation and on Access to Supply of Good and Services, Case Law CJEU on Gender Reassignment. - Victims of Crime Directive - Asylum, Qualification Directive

20. Supporting key actors responsible to advance LGBTI rights in the EU and raising awareness • Member States • - High Level Group Non-Discrimination, Equality and Diversity • - Best practises exchanges • NGO's • - Financial support through the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020, budget EUR 439 million), with nine priorities: promote non-discrimination, combat racism, xenophobia, homophobia and other forms of intolerance, promote rights of persons with disabilities… • (ILGA Europe, TGEU and IGLYO) • Businesses • - 16 Diversity Charters for Businesses, 8.000 Companies, 14 Million Employees

21. Health • - Depathologisation in review ICD • - Health inequalities experienced by LGBTI people

22. Data collection and research activities • - Gender recognition legislation study • - Supporting FRA • - Eurobarometer • - Tolerance and • Diversity in education

23. LGBTI equality in Enlargement, Neighbourhood and Third countries • - Monitoring implementation legislation and actions • - Guidelines to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by LGBTI persons • - European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)