Merkel 'still blocking anti-discrimination law'

You don't have to go far to find examples of everyday discrimination in Europe. There are Croatian landlords who refuse apartments to lesbians, Belgian cafes that won't serve women in headscarves to "maintain security," French banks who refuse loans to people on disability benefits, German swimming pools that deny access to blind women, and Slovakian clinics that refuse certain treatments for multiple sclerosis patients older than 45.

All these examples come from a recent report by Equinet, an umbrella organization for European equality bodies, one of more than 40 organizations that on Thursday issued a fresh call for the European Union to adopt a single anti-discrimination law.

"In many countries, people with disabilities can be refused access to offices, gays and lesbians can be refused hotel rooms, people can be refused rental cars because of their age, and people can be denied rental contracts because of their Jewish or Muslim religious beliefs," the organizations said a statement. "Such differing levels of protection should no longer exist in Europe."

Different standards

"Europe is a community of values where human rights are upheld, so it shouldn't be that people in different countries get different human rights protection," said Maja Liebing, discrimination specialist at the German branch of Amnesty International, which also signed the appeal. "There is relatively good protection against discrimination on the basis of ethnic background, and I think no one would question that it is important in other areas."

A draft law has been on the table since 2008 - seven years during which Germany has been holding up negotiations.

"For a long time Germany wasn't the only country to do it, there were others who expressed reservations - but that's changed," said Liebing. "Now Germany really is the only country at the EU level still blocking."

That is ironic, because Germany has relatively comprehensive discrimination protection laws in place.

"We don't understand why Germany is stopping this," Liebing said. "It's something that affects German citizens too, when they travel abroad in Europe. If a gay German couple went to an eastern European country, for example, they could find themselves being refused a hotel room. Even in Austria, two lesbians were thrown out of a cafe for kissing."

Who is holding things up? Germany

All three of Chancellor Angela Merkel's successive governments have failed to even offer an explanation for their position. "The government has just not faced the issue," said Liebing. "There is no official position, and the issue doesn't come up in the coalition contract at all."

When DW asked the government for a statement, Family Ministry spokeswoman Verena Herb said: "The consultations within the government have not yet been completed. That is why we have not yet taken a position on the matter in Brussels."

The junior partner in the current coalition government, the Social Democratic Party, has said it is in favor of the directive, which suggests the Chancellery still harbors reservations - though what they are is anyone's guess as it has not said anything on the topic. "A first step would be for them to explain why they have a problem with this issue," said Liebing.

Should the law be passed in Europe, EU member states would have to adopt the legislation at a national level. Different countries would have to make different adjustments - but broadening disability access would likely be one of the largest areas.

Currently there is some movement. The European Commission has recently made the issue a priority, again, and wants to finally put a bill before the European Parliament - if Merkel's government will let that happen.