Equal treatment
Men and women have to be treated equally in the EU.
- This principle is laid down in Articles 2 and 3 TEC and art. 2 and 3 TEU and Art. 8 TFEU in the Lisbon Treaty as an objective of the Community.
- The treaties further prohibit any discrimination on grounds of nationality according to Art. 12 TEC and Art. 18 TFEU in the Lisbon Treaty.
- EU measures to combat all kinds of discrimination (based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientations) can be based on Art. 13 TEC, introduced under the Treaty of Amsterdam and Art. 19 TFEU in the Lisbon Treaty.
- The requirement for the equal treatment of women and men as regards salaries, pensions, work conditions, promotion prospects etc. is based on Art. 157. TFEU, which has direct effect for European citizens.
According to a judgment of the EU Court, an employer must prove that he or she is not discriminating against women in cases where women are doing similar work to men but receiving lower salaries (case 109/88).
Future
The Convention on the Future of Europe working group on Social Europe held long and vibrant discussions about “equality” between women and men as a common value of the Union. The Lisbon Treaty proposes "equality" as a value of the Union, see art. 2 TEC. Equality between women and men is mentioned in the second sentence of article 2 TEU. Many female representatives in the Convention wanted to see that principle in the first sentence.
Links
See also Discrimination.
