High level Roundtable on equality data kicks off today in Brussels

The two-day event brings together policymakers, equality bodies, statistical offices, civil society, academics, experts, EU institutions and other stakeholders involved in equality data collection and use to discuss the collection and use of robust, comparable and reliable equality data, to share good practices and find ways to jointly advance equality data across all discrimination grounds in the EU. It will also contribute to and inform the consultation process on the future EU Recommendation on equality data, linking policy debate with practical implementation. 

The objective is to promote the collection and ethical, responsible use of high-quality equality data that capture both lived experiences of discrimination and its structural dimensions, ensuring the protection of fundamental and human rights and supporting more effective action across the EU. 

This is the second High-Level Roundtable on Equality Data hosted by the Commission, building on the success of the 2021 event. This initiative, announced in the Commission’s LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy, Anti-Racism Strategy and the Communication on enhancing the Rights of Strategy on Persons with disabilities up to 2030, remains a cornerstone of efforts to advance the responsible collection and use of equality data.

Commissioner for Equality, Hadja Lahbib, said:

"Step by step, we are strengthening our European system for equality data. But we must never forget: this is about people, not systems. Equality data can tell us if a person with a disability can get a job, if a Roma child has the same chances at school as her classmate, if an LGBTIQ+ person feels safe going to a doctor. Good data replace assumptions with evidence."

During the event, Irish Minister Emer Higgins highlighted Ireland’s leadership in the area of equality data and shared lessons from Ireland’s experience. Ireland’s National Equality Data Strategy 2026-2031 is the first Equality Data Strategy in Europe. Published in March, it provides a framework to support the collection and use of equality data across Government.

Irish Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Emer Higgins, said:

"Good equality data allows us to understand the world as it is. It allows us to see where inequality exists, to understand who is being left behind and to inform new policies that can make a difference for people. Without the evidence that this data provides, inequality can remain hidden.

Ireland has put values at the heart of our Presidency Programme, and improving equality data across Europe is a practical way of delivering on that. I am pleased to share Ireland’s experience on equality data, and to inform the European Commission as they develop their new EU wide recommendation.

Ireland is proud to be leading on equality data, we need high-quality data so that policies can be grounded in real evidence, and the effects of those policies can then be measured. That is the purpose of the Strategy and of the work that everyone is here today to advance."