The Last Anti-discrimination Act of the EU: The Czech Republic

In June 2009, the Czech Parliament adopted a new anti-discrimination act and is officially the last EU member state to adopt anti-discrimination legislation. The act governs the right to equal treatment and protection against discrimination in various daily situations and applies not only to employment, but also to independent business activity, professional training, membership to organizations, and many other fields. European Diversity’s Perry Hwang states, “With this new legislation in place, the European Union is showing the world a unified stance against discriminatory behaviour and highlights a future of progress and equality for the diverse citizens of the European Union.”
According to the new act, the grounds for discrimination are defined as race, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or religious belief. Unequal treatment will not be possible, even if the purpose is to compensate a discriminated group of people. The act newly introduces the possibility for the discriminated person to demand, in particular, that the discriminating party refrain from discriminating, remove any consequences of the discrimination and to provide adequate compensation. This is a fundamental shift from the past, when the only protection against discrimination was provided through the general provision on the protection of personal rights.
The public defender of rights (Ombudsman) will now be managing state-wide protection against discrimination and will especially focus on the provision of guidance to alleged victims of discrimination in filing proposals to commence proceedings, providing advice in response to questions relating to discrimination, carrying out independent research and informing the public.