ANTI-DISCRIMINATION: HIGH-LEVEL GROUP ON ETHNIC MINORITIES MEETS FOR FIRST TIME.

• Position: Brief article

Attending the meeting, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Vladimir Spidla called on member states to "ensure that the EU's anti-discrimination legislation be completely and efficiently transposed and applied as soon as possible. It is a question of fundamental rights and identifying with these values within the whole of Europe". "I am particularly concerned by the fact that not all member states have transposed the Directive on the equal treatment of all people regardless of race and the Directive on equal employment opportunities" (adopted in 2000), he added.

According to information given to EIS, the Commission is preparing to embark on a series of infringement proceedings against those member states which are guilty. These Directives in theory should have been grafted onto national statute books before July or December 2003.

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The group is headed by Rita Sussmuth, former President of the German Bundestag and erstwhile Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Women, Youth...