The European Union has one of the most extensive anti-discrimination legislation in the world. Article 6 of the Treaty of Amsterdam states that the European Union "is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedom principles which are common to the Member States." In 1997, the Member States reinforced the Union's capacity for upholding these principles by introducing Article 13, which conferred on the Community the competence to "take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation." The insertion of Article 13 was directly followed by the Commission's proposal of an "anti-discrimination package", which included the Community Action Program to Combat Discrimination and both the Racial Equality Directive and the Employment Equality Directive.

These Directives, adopted in 2000, prohibit discrimination, harassment and victimization in employment and training on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. They also prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, in employment and areas beyond such as education, social security and social advantages, including housing and healthcare, and access to goods and services. While many European countries already had legislation against discrimination, the new laws aim to establish a consistent set of rights and obligations across the Union. This implies that victims of discrimination, harassment or victimisation can now take action, and those involved in discriminatory practices can be held accountable, although how this is done will vary from country to country.

The two Directives do not cover discrimination on the ground of sex. Since 1957, the EEC Treaty has contained a provision prohibiting unequal pay for men and women, which has been revised in the Treaty of Amsterdam. From 1975, the EU has issued several directives on sex discrimination and the European Court of Justice has given a great number of judgments on sex discrimination cases. The European Commission refers to sex discrimination as 'gender discrimination', and treats it separately from the other forms of discrimination specified in the Racial Equality and Employment Framework Directives.

Recently, the EU launched the Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010. This Roadmap outlines six priority areas for EU action on gender equality:

1. equal economic independence for women and men; 2. reconciliation of private and professional life; 3. equal representation in decision-making; 4. eradication of all forms of gender-based violence; 5. elimination of gender stereotypes; 6. promotion of gender equality in external and development policies.

These objectives build on the experience of the "Framework Strategy for equality between women and men" for the period 2001-2005. The roadmap combines some new initiatives with the support of successful, existing actions. All actions will be aligned with the Commission's distinctive approach to gender equality consisting of gender mainstreaming (the promotion of gender equality in all policy areas and activities) and specific measures. While there has been significant progress made in gender equality thanks to legislation, gender mainstreaming and action programmes there is still room for improvement.

From the outset, the EEC Treaty also contained provisions prohibiting nationality discrimination and guaranteeing the free movement of workers within the European Union. These provisions have been strengthened by the Treaty of Amsterdam (Articles 12 and 39). The European Court of Justice has interpreted these provisions in a great number of cases.

Concerning disability, the European Union has recently adopted a strategy whose purpose is to mainstream disability issues into relevant Community policies and develop concrete actions in crucial areas to enhance the integration of people with disabilities.

The laws have to be widely known and fully applied in order to be completely effective. To this end they have to be bolstered by a clear political determination, while enjoying popular support. With this in mind, the European Commission has proposed designating 2007 as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. This initiative will provide additional momentum for the anti-discrimination campaign and promote equal opportunities for all, while conveying a positive message about diversity.