ANTI-DISCRIMINATION: COMMISSION POISED TO LAUNCH LEGAL ACTION.

• Position: Brief article

Given that 2007 will be the EU's Year of Equality for All, the Commission has hinted it is aiming to crack down on all wayward member states in 2006. According to the EU executive, Germany and Luxembourg have no legislation at all transposing anti-discrimination Directives on race (2000/43/EC), on equal opportunities in employment (2000/78/EC) and equal treatment of men and women in employment and training (2002/73/EC). Austria, Finland and the UK have also failed to transpose many of these laws on time, some officials have indicated. Greece and the Czech Republic were also among the laggards, but have recently adopted most of the rules.

The European Court of Justice on May 4 ruled that Austria had breached EU law by failing to transpose fully Directive 2000/43/EC, prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin. The deadline for member states to transpose...