Legal Seminar 2011: Approaches to equality and non-discrimination legislation inside and outside the EU

The objective of the Legal Seminar was to provide the participants with an opportunity to exchange views on the transposition and implementation of EU equality and anti-discrimination Directives, to look into legal systems of third countries and to share practices and experiences. The seminar brought together a number of high level academics from across and outside the European Union. Current legal developments and future prospects in the area of non-discrimination and gender equality were widely discussed. The programme (PDF 90 kB) of the seminar included both plenary sessions and parallel workshops.

The keynote speech, addressed by Sandra Fredman to introduce the 2011 Legal Seminar, examined various anti-discrimination legislation from a comparative point of view, particularly in Canada, India, South Africa and the USA. Comparative law is of great value, particularly in the equality field where there is increasing cross-pollination across different jurisdictions.Sandra Fredman also authored a thematic report for the European Network of Legal Experts in the non-discrimination field, to be published in early 2012. The aim of the report is to compare and contrast anti-discrimination and equality laws in the USA, Canada, South Africa and India, with a view to inform future development of EU anti-discrimination laws.

Presentation Prof. Sandy Fredman:
Handout (PDF 184 kB)
Powerpoint (PDF 318 kB)
Audio recording (mp3 2 min.)