SME Chamber President meets MDB Officials
22 April 2024
Malta Chamber of SMEs President Mr Paul Abela met MDB Chairman Leo Brincat and CEO...
Position Paper on Equal Treatment
18 September 2008
Equal treatment between persons irrespective of their religion, belief, disability, age and sexual orientation
On 2 July 2008, the European Commission (EC) adopted a directive proposal which aims to provide for protection from discrimination.
So far, discrimination based on age, religion or belief, sexual orientation and disability is only prohibited in the fields of employment, occupation and vocational training. With its latest directive proposal, the EC intends to fill this gap.
By means of this new directive the EC wants to ensure equal treatment in the areas of social protection, including social security and health care, education and access to and supply of goods and services which are commercially available to the public, including housing. Thus, commerce is directly affected by this directive proposal.
GRTU cannot support the directive proposal in its present form since it would create legal uncertainty and additional burdens for the enterprises in the commerce sector.
Instead of new legislation with an unclear outcome, GRTU advocates a non-legislative approach and is very much in favour of an intensified and structured dialogue between public authorities, business and all other stakeholders concerned, in particular NGOs representing those groups of society which are exposed to discrimination.
