The Equinet Freedom of Movement Cluster was created in 2018 to build the capacity of equality bodies to exercise their new mandate and assist them in realizing their full potential. Based on a needs assessment, recently carried out with the members of the Cluster, equality bodies still struggle with handling casework and raising awareness among EU workers about their rights, and would benefit from forging stable links with other partners working on the topic of freedom of movement. This online event provided a training tailored to the needs of Equinet members.
On 17 March, this online training brought together relevant equality bodies and EU partners working on the topic of freedom of movement, in order to improve the capacity of equality bodies to provide effective protection against discrimination of mobile EU workers and members of their families. The development of stronger cooperation channels with relevant partners is crucial to achieve this.
The objectives of the online training were:
- Increase equality bodies’ knowledge of relevant freedom of movement law and jurisprudence and its links with non-discrimination law;
- Provide practical guidance on the implementation of freedom of movement law for the purpose of equality protection;
- Share and discuss good practices on the legal and promotional work being done by equality bodies, operating as Art. 4 bodies, and EU partners, who provide information and assistance services in the freedom of movement area;
- Create stable and long-term links with EU partners, providing information and assistance services in the freedom of movement area.
Further Information:
Find the concept note and agenda here.
Find the Training Summary here.
Speakers and presentations:
- Julia Konowrocka (Equinet) – The work of equality bodies on freedom of movement of EU workers
- Iva Fellerová Palkovská (Public Defender of Rights) – Main findings from upcoming discussion paper
- Radek Casta (European Commission, DG EMPL) – Relevant freedom of movement case law
- Federico Pancaldi (European Labour Authority) – ELA Action Plan on Cross-Border Seasonal Workers
- Claire Damilano (European Citizen Action Service) – Your Europe Advice – Annual trends
Revelevant reading material:
- Equinet Discussion Paper: Equality Bodies and Freedom of Movement (2015)
- EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s Report: Making EU citizens’ rights a reality: national courts enforcing freedom of movement and related rights (2018)
- European Commission Application Report on Directive 2014/54/EU (2019)
- EU Citizenship Report (2020)
- Annual Report on Intra-EU Labour Mobility (2020)
Should you have any questions about this event, please do not hesitate to contact Julia Konowrocka, Policy Officer (Julia.Konowrocka@equineteurope.org).