THE Government will seek to add new anti discrimination provisions to the EU treaties during its EU presidency, the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor, said yesterday.
The Government will also press for European institutions to adopt anti discrimination legislation, Mr Taylor told a conference in Dublin organised by anti discrimination groups including Pavee Point, the body representing travellers.
"In Europe today there are few strictly legal barriers to the full participation of everyone in the life of their own country," he said. "However, there is still a very real gap between de jure equality and de facto equality. It is one thing to put laws on the statute books. It is not so easy to change long established attitudes, but we must make a start."
Reviewing the equality legislation being prepared by his Department, the Minister said the Government was undertaking "the most fundamental changes in our laws to combat discrimination since the foundation of the State". It was also making the issue a priority at international level.
"Ireland will favour exploring clear and specific provisions on discrimination on grounds such as gender, race and disability," he said adding that the Government could also support express condemnation of racism and xenophobia, "including an explicit reference to anti Semitism".
The Minister said the Government's concern for human rights was reflected in its setting up of a human rights division in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and its intention to seek membership of the UN Commission on
Human Rights.
The Minister did not refer directly in his speech to opposition to his proposed domestic legislation from publicans, who believe measures in the Equal Status Bill, due to be published before the end of the year, may interfere with their ability to manage their premises.
However Mr Taylor said afterwards that he had met vintners' groups and explained the proposed measures and he thought they had been received quite well. He said the proposed law limited the grounds on which people could be excluded from pubs, but did not restrict the right of publicans to exclude people for reasons such as anti social behaviour.
The Vintners' Federation of Ireland said later its members remained opposed to the provisions of the Bill. The federation president, Mr Paul O'Grady, said members continued to respond negatively to the proposed law.
"Not one of them is softening his or her view on this potentially disastrous legislative change for our trade," he said.