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History Right to be Different - Workers Out!Speech by European commissioner Vladimír Špidla2006 08 03 
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to be able to take part in these first world
Outgames, at least as a speaker, for I think that events like this
help to raise the profile of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
communities across the world through sport.
Please allow me to begin my speech with a personal comment.
Throughout my working life, in which I have occupied a very wide
variety of posts, ranging from manual worker to Prime Minister of the
Czech Republic, I have always considered it my duty to respect the
equality and dignity of all people, irrespective of their sexual
orientation, and to see to it that they are respected.
Actually, I have always taken the view that respect for the rights
of persons, regardless of their sexual orientation, is one of the main
criteria for respect for human rights in general. That is why, when I
was Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, I brought before the national
parliament a draft law on homosexual partnerships, which was adopted
after years of difficult negotiations.
Let me assure you, from the outset, that I am still driven by this
concern to guarantee respect for equality and human dignity as the
Member of the European Commission responsible for Employment, Social
Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
I am particularly pleased to see that there will be a session
devoted to Europe because it took a long time for homosexuality to no
longer be considered to be something deviant that had to be repressed.
Europe is notorious for one of the greatest genocides of the twentieth
century and the most systematic extermination of homosexuals. Thus,
between 1933 and 1945, more than 100 000 people were arrested in
Germany because of homosexuality, and some of them died in the
Auschwitz extermination camp to which they were deported.
The post-War period was marked by secret homosexuality against a
background of covert repression. I know that it was a period of great
suffering for many. Finally, when sexual liberation came, gay
communities throughout the world were hit very hard by the terrible
scourge of AIDS. As a result, they were the victims of renewed
discrimination on the basis of their sexuality and because they were
sero-positive.
It is a sad fact that, at the start of the twenty-first century,
in certain parts of the world people are still being persecuted, and
sometimes even killed, because of their sexual orientation.
In Europe, despite the progress achieved in combating
discrimination, the situation is far from ideal. Most often it is a
case of individuals discriminating against other individuals but, here
and there, certain political statements reveal institutionalised
discrimination.
It took a long time for the European Union to tackle the question
of combating discrimination, which, until recently, was an area for
which the Member States were exclusively responsible. Since then, many
measures have been adopted at European level, which I shall present to
you now. I shall then go on to talk about our plans in this area.
Directive 2000/78/EC
In 1999 a new Treaty entered into force, introducing new
provisions on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, among
other grounds. The European Union was then able to adopt, the following
year, that is to say in 2000, legislation banning any discrimination on
the grounds of age, disability, religion or belief and sexual orientation
in the areas of employment and vocational training. This legislation
covers access to employment, working conditions, remuneration and
rights and benefits in relation to employment.
The Member States had a period of three years in which to adopt
all the national measures needed to apply the provisions of this
European legislation.
In 2004, ten new Member States from central and eastern Europe joined the European Union and, as a result, accepted the acquis communautaire,
in other words all the texts adopted since the beginning of European
integration, including the legislation that I have just mentioned.
The European Commission is currently examining the implementation of this text and will draw up a public report on this matter.
I should like to stress that, for me, it is not just a question of
the role of the European Commission as guardian of the Treaties, for
I am personally committed to do everything that I can to ensure that
the legislation on non-discrimination is complied with by ALL the
Member States. The European Commission takes account of the legitimate
differences between the legal and institutional traditions of the
Member States and respects their right to choose their own ways of
implementing the legislation. However, I would like to make it clear
that the Commission will not tolerate ANY omission of sexual
orientation as a ground for discrimination. If that were to be the
case, our response would be quite categorical, as I have shown
following the omission of sexual orientation by Latvia.
Anti-discrimination programme
In 2001 the European Union also adopted a Community
anti-discrimination programme, which was designed to support the
efforts of the Member States to combat discrimination. This programme
has three objectives:
The many diverse activities supported by the programme include
three that I should like to mention because I consider them to be
particularly important. Firstly, a major European information campaign
was launched in June 2003 entitled For Diversity - Against
Discrimination. This campaign is designed to convey a positive message
about diversity through a wide range of channels, such as television or
printed advertisements, seminars, media events and information
brochures, and about the new European legislation on combating
discrimination in the various Member States.
Moreover, under the anti-discrimination action programme, the
European Commission is financing four networks of European NGOs,
including ILGA-Europe, that represent the victims of discrimination and
defend their rights.
Lastly, over the period 2004-2006, the Community Action Programme
is supporting 25 transnational measures covering all grounds of
discrimination, including sexual orientation. Several NGOs representing
the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities are involved in
various projects.
2007: European Year of Equal Opportunities for All
The most carefully crafted legislation will not be enough to
eradicate discrimination unless it is underpinned by clear political
will and enjoys popular support. The Commission therefore proposes
designating 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. The Year
is the key plank of the anti-discrimination strategy that the
Commission put forward in June 2005.
The Year has two main objectives:
In addition to the twenty-five Member States, the European Year of
Equal Opportunities for all is open to the countries applying to join
the European Union and several of the European Union's neighbouring
countries, so that, all in all, the Year should take place in nearly
forty countries.
However, we all realise that much remains to be done to combat discrimination.
What remains to be done
As I said at the beginning of my talk, the legal provisions that
currently exist at European-Union level for combating discrimination
only cover employment in the broad sense, except for discrimination
based on race or ethnic origin.
In order to meet the expectations of certain Members of the
European Parliament and certain NGOs, the European Commission is
considering the feasibility of a new proposal for a directive extending
the scope of protection against discrimination that would cover more
than just employment.
A feasibility study has already been launched. It is looking at
the national provisions of the Member States and certain third
countries that go beyond the requirements set out in Community
directives. It will assess the merits of the various legal and other
measures. The results of this study will be available in December 2006.
Above all, it is necessary to continue to combat stereotypes and
prejudices in all possible ways. Homophobia is a prejudice that I
consider to be particularly revolting and unjustified.
Any statement about the dangers of a 'homosexualisation of
society' or the 'contagious nature of homosexuality' must be considered
to be equivalent to the anti-Semitic ravings about the so-called Jewish
conspiracy of world domination. Homophobic statements are equally
absurd, paranoid and dangerous. Unfortunately, we have heard too many
statements of this kind in the recent past. There is NO place for such
language of hatred and exclusion.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, equality means no
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In our history there
have been periods, cultures and civilisations that have been more or
less tolerant, but I believe that, today, only full equality and
dignity can be considered to be acceptable. I am pleased to say that
the European Union is contributing to full equality for all people,
regardless of their sexual orientation, but I am more convinced than
ever that there is still work to be done in this area and that further
progress can be achieved.
Thank you for your attention!"
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