Conference resources on ‘Implementing EU law on equal opportunities and anti-discrimination’

On 4 October 2011 the fourth yearly seminar of theEuropean anti-discrimination legal network was organised in cooperation with the European Network of Legal Experts in the field of Gender Equality (managed by the Faculty of Law at Utrecht University). The seminar attracted 158 participants, representatives of the European Commission, EU Member States governments, Equality Bodies and European NGOs. The feedback from the participants was collected through a satisfaction survey.

The objective of the Legal Seminar was to provide the participants with an opportunity to exchange views on the transposition and implementation of EU equality and anti-discrimination Directives, to look into legal systems of third countries and to share practices and experiences. The seminar brought together a number of high level academics from across and outside the European Union. Current legal developments and future prospects in the area of non-discrimination and gender equality were widely discussed. The programme of the seminar included both plenary sessions and parallel workshops.

The keynote speech, addressed by Sandra Fredman to introduce the 2011 Legal Seminar, examined various anti-discrimination legislation from a comparative point of view, particularly in Canada, India, South Africa and the USA. Comparative law is of great value, particularly in the equality field where there is increasing cross-pollination across different jurisdictions. Sandra Fredman also authored a thematic report for the European Network of Legal Experts in the non-discrimination field, to be published in early 2012. The aim of the report is to compare and contrast anti-discrimination and equality laws in the USA, Canada, South Africa and India, with a view to inform future development of EU anti-discrimination laws.

Presentation Prof. Sandy Fredman:
Handout
Powerpoint
Audio recording

Workshop resources: