Ministers from 27 EU Member States have issued a clear call to the European Commission to step up its work on LGBTI equality measures. That message emanated clearly from this afternoon’s (Monday, 7 March 2016) Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council meeting.

The adoption of conclusions on gender equality and LGBTI equality was one of the afternoon session’s agenda items, as part of a package put forward by the Dutch Presidency (current chair of the Council of the EU). 27 Member States stated their unequivocal support for the LGBTI conclusions, asking the Commission to breathe real life into the activities listed in their LGBTI List of Actions. Only Hungary was unable to support the LGBTI equality conclusions in their present form.

“The common desire for equality for LGBTI people cannot be ignored. The appetite for greater advances was evident among the 27 Member States who supported the measures at EPSCO today.” said ILGA-Europe Executive Director Evelyne Paradis.

“While we would have much preferred to have seen full unanimity, this was not just a tacit agreement with the European Commission’s List of Actions. This was a real message from Members States that they want to see practical progress sooner rather than later.”

The LGBTI Council Conclusions asked the Commission to produce a progress report by the end of 2016 and also requested the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency to repeat its innovative LGBT survey. 

///ENDS 

For more information please contact 
Juris Lavrikovs at + 32 2 609 54 16 / + 32 496 708 375
Emma Cassidy at +32 2 609 56 50

Notes for editors: 

1. ILGA-Europe is the European Region of ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association and works for human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans & intersex people in Europe. ILGA-Europe represents over 400 member organisations in 45 European countries: www.ilga-europe.org 
2. For up-to-date information on the legal and policy situation for LGBTI people in Europe, visit our Rainbow Europe Module: www.rainbow-europe.org  
3. Today’s EPSCO discussion can be viewed here: http://video.consilium.europa.eu/en/webcast/e77283e1-edb9-4426-afd6-b2bb27ca1373 
4. You can view the European Commission’s List of Actions here: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/files/lgbti_actionlist_en.pdf