Objectives
The objective of the Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000, establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation is to put in place a general framework to ensure equal treatment of individuals in the European Union, regardless of their religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, as regards access to employment or occupation and membership of certain organisations.
Contents
This Directive shall apply to all persons in relation to:
- conditions of access to employed or self-employed activities, including promotion;
- access to all types and to all levels of vocational guidance, vocational training, advanced vocational training and retraining;
- employment and working conditions (including pay and dismissals);
- membership of, and involvement in, an organisation of employers or workers or any other organisation whose members carry on a particular profession.
These principles apply to the public sector and the private sector as well as for paid and unpaid work. The Directive aims to combat both direct discrimination and indirect discrimination.
In order to guarantee compliance with the principle of equal treatment in relation to persons with disabilities, employers are obliged to provide reasonable accommodation. This means that employers shall take appropriate measures to enable a person with a disability to have access to, participate in, or advance in employment, or to undergo training, unless such measures would impose a disproportionate burden on the employer. A guide published by the EU Commission in 2024 provides information and practical examples on how to implement reasonable accommodation in the workplace.
Read the full text of Directive 2000/78/EC
National laws implementing this Directive
Further information: EU Commission Persons with disabilities