Council of Ministers Anti-Discrimination Directive Still Blocked

The Employment and Social Policy Council met on 6 December. One of the topics on the agenda was the draft Directive on implementation of the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Access to health care is one of the topics in this proposal. Several Member States question the need for such proposal, as it encroaches on national competences in some respects and runs counter to the subsidiary and proportionality principles. Other delegations are concerned about legal uncertainty, the sharing of competence s-and the practical, financial and legal consequences of the proposal. During the discussion, Germany and the Czech Republic called for suspension of the debate, “which has been stagnating for years”. Sweden, Finland, France and Italy on the other hand called for a more intense effort to work out an agreement. 

For the proposed Directive:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0426:FIN:EN:PDF