5. The decision-making process

5.2. The written parliamentary question

The example of the question by Hugues Bayet, former Belgian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, addressed to the EU Council, on 27 January 2016:

“The proposal for a directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation has been blocked in the Council for too many years.

However, news reports show all too often that discrimination is still very much in evidence and is even on the rise in the European Union.

Could the Council say what initiatives it intends to take in the next six months so that progress can be made with this proposal?”.

The Council replied to the question on 11 April 2016 stating that the proposal was under discussion but that the outcome or duration of the discussions could not be predicted.

The reply also refers to the Council's latest Progress Report on the proposal of 23 November 2015.

The elements affirming the need for "further discussion" include:

 - the general scope of the proposal, as some delegations oppose the inclusion of social protection and education;

- remaining aspects of the division of competences and subsidiarity;

- the certainty of the commitments that would result from the approval of the directive.