Exploring Equality in an Unequal Europe
On the 7th and 8th of October 2024, the Max Planck European Law Group held its Third Annual Conference funded by Max Planck Law on the theme of ‘Equality in an Unequal Europe? Assessing Anti-Discrimination Law in Context’ at the Harnack Haus in Berlin. The presentations focused on key aspects of European anti-discrimination law in both the EU and European Convention on Human Rights frameworks, offering diverse legal perspectives on contemporary challenges. The event, held for early-career scholars, featured eleven individual presentations that were moderated by mpilhlt researchers (Victoria Hooton, Nina Cozzi, Anna Hoberg, Zeynep Caglar and Jan-Henrik Meyer).
The conference opened with a keynote by Tiziana Trefiletti, who offered her personal reflections on championing diversity and inclusion in large, international organisations. Presentations by researchers examined various dimensions of equality and discrimination law. Topics included the role of equality in the effectiveness of the horizontal application of EU law, structural disadvantages in international law and in national and European legal frameworks. Another significant discussion revolved around anti-racism provisions in the codes of European football associations. The programme also explored specific issues like discrimination in automated decision-making, unpaid traineeships in EU law, the recognition of civil status for mobile EU citizens, the use of the concept of European consensus in cases of concerning marginalised or stigmatised groups, and the vulnerability of senior consumers in digital financial markets. The affiliation of speakers was diverse, including contributors that were PhD candidates and early career scholars and professionals from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, and Poland. Overall, the conference was a productive forum for discussions on the current and future challenges of equality law in Europe.