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2007 – European Year of Equal opportunities for all

What activities will take place as part of the Year?

The Year will be marked by hundreds of different activities staged throughout the European Union, locally, regionally and nationwide. Several activities are also being planned across Europe. These include:

• An "Equality summit", where ministers, social partners and non-governmental organisations will gather together for the first time to consider the themes of equal opportunities and non-discrimination;
• a new survey to discover Europeans' attitudes towards discrimination;
• a pan-European campaign on European anti-discrimination policies and legislation.

In order to reach out to the public as much as possible, most of the Year's activities will be held nationally, regionally or locally in the Member States with respect to their individual needs. The activities could include:

• A writing competition for schools on the theme of respect and tolerance;
• a prize for companies deploying effective diversity policies;
• training for local trade unionists on what impact anti-discrimination makes at their level;
• a workshop attended by local bodies representing people that suffer from discrimination. A support agency for the disabled and an organisation representing migrants' would therefore be able to consider approaches for facilitating equal treatment in local services, such as housing or education

Subsequent to a broad-based consultation with the organisations and groups concerned by the Year, including social partners and associations lending support to those suffering from discrimination or potentially exposed to discrimination, each Member State will be required to present the Commission with the country's ideas and strategy for the Year. The activities will get underway once the European Commission has reviewed and negotiated each of the national strategies, where appropriate.

The Year is set to have a budget close to Euro 15 million.