The European Union has in place an advanced legal framework with which to promote equality and non-discrimination. However, significant proportions of people experience discrimination on a regular basis. This calls for a reconsideration of how legislation and policies to promote equality are implemented and how progress on the ground can be monitored. Equality data are a crucial element of this reconsideration and powerful tools to support the fight against discrimination and exclusion.
For historical reasons, the collection of personal data disaggregated by protected characteristics is a particularly sensitive issue in many European countries. EU anti-discrimination legislation forbids the use of any such data to the disadvantage of the groups they refer to. Furthermore, such sensitive personal data are severely protected by constitutional norms. However, if collected and processed in full respect of this legal framework and the safeguards it sets out, such data are essential for Member States to assess their compliance with human rights obligations and enables policy makers to design evidence-based measures to address discrimination, inequalities and exclusion.
The round table gathered a wide audience, in particular all those interested and involved in how to build an evidence-based approach to promoting equality. This includes data producers and collectors, including equality bodies, statistical institutes, Member States representatives, civil society, academics, EU institutions, EU authorities such as the European Data Protection Supervisor, FRA and other EU agencies and international organisations.
