- Why this 2007 European Year?
- How did it work?
- Key partners
- Surveys and studies
- What happened in my country?
- News Archive
- Events
- Facts and Figures
- Your rights to equal treatment
- Benefits of diversity
- Other relevant EU initiatives
- Reference documents
- Useful Links
Welcome
Welcome to the website of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All! This site explains the aims of the Year and how it operated.
The 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All sought to make people in the European Union more aware of their rights to equal treatment and to a life free of discrimination. These are two of the basic principles underpinning the EU. The Year also launched a major debate on the benefits of diversity both for European societies and individuals. [..] » Read on
A Year of Achievements
2007 – A European Year against discrimination and for equality
The European Year of Equal opportunities for All has come to a close and now it’s time to draw conclusions and evaluate the Year’s achievements and legacy.
With more than 430 national actions and over 600 events spreading the messages of the Year and reaching approximately 400.000 people, the European Year has achieved its goal. Considerably more Europeans are aware of their rights to non-discrimination, and a vigorous public debate on the benefits of diversity in Europe has been launched. An estimated 328 million citizens were additionally reached by articles published in newspapers and magazines on the Year’s activities, and there were also nearly 900.000 visitors to the Year’s official website. Over 450 national event reports, publications and news items were published in 22 EU languages on the national information pages of the website, making country-specific information accessible to all European citizens! According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, up to 37 % of Europeans were aware that 2007 was the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All – an impressive result!
During 2007 the pan-European Truck Tour took the Year’s message to 32 cities in 19 states of the European Union, including the new Member States Bulgaria and Romania. The Truck Tour was an interactive way of bringing the messages of the Year to the people through road-show events. It was highly acclaimed by the general public, reaching and directly involving an estimated 3 million people!
But not only has the general public been involved in making the European Year 2007 a success. On the grass-roots level, NGOs and social partners got together over the course of the Year for even further cooperation and networking. These actors have played a vital role in making the Year happen. They represented the public view on equality and gave a voice to victims of discrimination. Because national strategies for the Year were designed in close co-operation with civil society, a sustained dialogue was established with local authorities and policy-makers, thereby sowing the seeds of improved governance of equality issues for the future. In some countries, this was the first time that representatives of civil society and policy makers met to discuss issues such as discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All gave the fight against discrimination great momentum and has paved the way for a more diverse and just European society! As a result of the Year, EU Member States have taken on a number of ambitious commitments to combat discrimination inside and outside the labour market.
