To:
Roxana Mînzatu
Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Training, European Commission
Hadja Lahbib
European Commissioner for Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management
Dear Vice-President Mînzatu,
Dear Commissioner Lahbib,
We, the undersigned, are alarmed at news about European companies backing away from practices of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility due to pressure from the United States Administration.
Asking European companies to reverse these practices in Europe to keep contracts in the United States is not only unacceptable – it is a dangerous attack against European values and sovereignty. It also undermines existing EU legislation on non-discrimination in employment, which has become a cornerstone of the European labour model.
We urge you to clearly condemn these attempts and to call on European companies to renew their commitment to human rights and to the rights of those discriminated groups, including persons with disabilities, racialised people, young people, older persons, women, LGBTIQ+ persons or those facing discrimination based on religion or belief. We ask you to:
- Publish a strong statement reaffirming the values of Article 19 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and the European Social Charter;
- Ensure that values of diversity and non-discrimination are included in Public Procurement calls by the European Institutions; and
- Develop a voluntary code of conduct for companies on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility.
The US Administration’s interference with human rights obligations is unacceptable and clearly contrary to European values. It coincides with a time when the protection of the rights of marginalised groups already risks being undermined by the planned withdrawal of the Horizontal Equal Treatment Directive. We ask all European leaders to join us in standing firm against such interference.