On 8 December 2015, the Defender of Rights hosted the Conference "Equality bodies and the new freedom of movement directive – challenge or opportunity?" in Paris (France). This conference was dedicated to the role of equality bodies in combating nationality-based discrimination in the framework of the implementation of the new Directive.

On 9 and 10 November 2015, staff of member equality bodies joined hosts Equinet and the Equality and the Human Rights Commission in London for a capacity building seminar entitlted "A question of faith. Religion and belief in the work of equality bodies".

As of January 2016, Equinet - European Network of Equality Bodies will become an observer of CAHROM.

This year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on the 9 October 2015 in Brussels and gathered representatives of equality bodies from across Europe, as well as various stakeholders from Europe and the U.S, to reflect on Equinet’s work over the past year and to discuss and take decisions for the future of the network.

This publication provides a succinct overview of the highlights of Equinet’s achievements from January 2014 to July 2015, linked to our strategic goals.

On 1-2 October 2015, First Vice President for Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Frans Timmermans, in cooperation with EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, hosted the first Annual Colloquium on fundamental rights in the EU.

This perspective aims to explore and communicate the strategic approaches developed by equality bodies on the ground of religion or belief; the body of work carried out on the ground of religion or belief; and the implications and learning from this work.

The Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of OSCE participating States is Europe’s largest annual human rights and democracy conference and takes place from 21 September to 2 October.

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, Equality Legislation Unit (JUST D.1) has launched a public consultation on the implementation and application of Council Directive 79/7/EEC on the progressive implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in matters of social security