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June 13, 2022 · 2 min read

EU Guidelines for National LGBTIQ Equality Action Plans

Cover of 'EU Guidelines for National LGBTIQ Equality Action Plans' - Detail

TGEU welcomes European Commission guidelines for national LGBTIQ Equality Action Plans.

On 17 May 2022, the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, and Interphobia, the European Commission published its Guidelines for Strategies and Action Plans to Enhance LGBTIQ Equality.

TGEU’s Trans Rights Map 2022 shows that only eight countries in the EU (out of 27 Member States) currently have trans-inclusive national equality action plans: Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

TGEU welcomes these guidelines as one of the key actions TGEU identified as significant for trans people in the 2020-2025 LGBTIQ Equality Strategy. Although non-binding, the guidelines have the potential to greatly influence the development and content of equality action plans in Member States in the EU, and therefore the policies that affect trans and other LGBTIQ people. The European Commission worked with EU Member States and regional LGBTI networks, including TGEU, on the development of these guidelines.

The guidelines note that, “in order to ensure protection of LGBTIQ people’s rights effectively, LGBTIQ policies, strategies and/or action plans should cover and address appropriately the following dimensions:

  1. Ensuring an accurate assessment of LGBTIQ equality situation in support of evidence based policy-making
  2. Identifying main challenges of LGBTIQ equality, paying attention to the situation of the most vulnerable
  3. Setting clear, ambitious and measurable priorities for promoting LGBTIQ equality and awareness raising
  4. Ensuring effective legal protection of LGBTIQ people and proper law enforcement
  5. Transparent management, leadership and coordination of LGBTIQ equality matters, including mainstreaming and active involvement of civil society.

With the release of these guidelines, now is a good moment for civil society to reach out to their respective national ministries and advocate for national action plans on trans and LGBTIQ equality that meet those standards

As EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli notes in the foreword to the guidelines, “the protection and promotion of equality and human rights is our common value as well as our common task and responsibility.”