Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
670. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current status of negotiations on the proposed European Union Equal Treatment Directive at Council level; the main barriers to agreement identified by Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27987/26]
View answer671. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the specific actions Ireland intends to take to progress the proposed European Union Equal Treatment Directive during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27988/26]
View answer672. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether advancing the proposed European Union Equal Treatment Directive is under consideration as part of Ireland’s priorities for its Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27989/26]
View answer710. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether advancing the proposed European Union Equal Treatment Directive will form part of Ireland's policy priorities during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28585/26]
View answer711. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current status of negotiations on the proposed European Union Equal Treatment Directive at the Council level; the main barriers to agreement identified by Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28586/26]
View answer712. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the mechanisms in place to coordinate Ireland's position on the proposed European Union Equal Treatment Directive across relevant Departments, including the Department of Children, Disability and Equality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28587/26]
View answer713. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps Ireland has taken to engage with other Member States to build consensus on the proposed European Union Equal Treatment Directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28588/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 670, 671, 672, 710, 711, 712 and 713 together.
The Equal Treatment Directive, also known as the Anti-Discrimination Directive, was first proposed by the European Commission in 2008 and has been regularly discussed by the Council since then. The Directive seeks to close a gap in EU law, aiming to extend the protection against discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation to areas outside employment.
The proposal falls under Article 19 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) (special legislative procedure). This procedure means that unanimity in the Council is required, following the consent of the European Parliament. The European Parliament provided its initial consent in 2009.
Although the proposal has been under discussion for close to 18 years, and almost every Presidency has placed the file on the agenda of the Council, it has not been possible to reach a unanimous agreement to date.
A progress report, by the Danish Presidency of the Council, was presented at the EPSCO Council on 1 December 2025. The Presidency outlined that, while a very large majority of delegations continue to support the Directive, three Member States maintained reservations on the file.
Ireland has been a long-standing supporter of the adoption of the Equal Treatment Directive. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has lead responsibility for the negotiation of this Directive, and as is usual practice, officials in the Department coordinate Ireland’s position on the file.
The European Commission proposed in February 2025 to withdraw the Directive from further discussion. At the time, as Minister I signed a joint letter with other likeminded Member States urging Commissioner Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Equality, to reconsider the withdrawal and to work with the Council to seek unanimity. The European Commission retracted their withdrawal proposal in July 2025.
Since then, supporting the work of the Danish and the Cyprus Presidency, Ireland has continued to back efforts to reach unanimity at Council. As part of our Presidency preparations, I have met with Commissioner Lahbib to discuss the Directive, and officials are actively engaging with Member States at technical levels.
Reaching unanimous agreement on this Directive at Council has not been possible to date due to the fact of some Member States having long standing reservations. As the Presidency, Ireland will act as an honest broker for the Council during our term, work with all Member States to understand their views, and will seek to progress files and reach agreement where it is possible.
Ireland’s Presidency Programme for the Council of the EU is currently under development, with preparations intensifying across Government. Two cross-departmental groups, chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, are co-ordinating this preparatory work. Officials from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality are actively engaged in these groups, which focus on the policy and operational aspects of Ireland's Presidency.
Ireland's full policy programme will be published, as is usual practice, shortly before the start of our Presidency term, in June 2026.
