Age discrimination in Europe | Age Concern England

Age discrimination - European Directive

Our population is ageing and faces age based discrimination in key areas such as access to health care, financial services and education.

We, along with many age sector organisations believe that the time is right to outlaw unfair age based discrimination in goods and services.

In order to help achieve this goal and to show what such a law might look like, Age Concern with European partners and the leading equality barrister Robin Allen QC, have written a draft European Directive on age discrimination.

This shows that legislation is both possible and practical and it will contribute to the discussions which are now underway in Europe about future equality actions. We commend the concepts and proposals it contains as a demonstration of the kind of approach which should be adopted by the European institutions in seeking to eliminate age discrimination.

The draft Directive was launched at the Global Conference on Ageing hosted by DaneAge and the International Federation on Ageing in Copenhagen on May 31 2006.

You can download an outline of the full Directive and explanatory notes below.