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Czech discrimination bill sent to final reading in lower house

22 October 2012
1 minute read

The Czech Chamber of Deputies today sent to third, final reading an anti-discrimination bill whose non-existence has been repeatedly criticised by the European Union that even warned that the country may face sanctions.

The bill that secures an equal access to education, labour, health care and social advantages irrespective of age, race, nationality, sexual orientation, health handicap, sex, religion and world outlook may be passed next week.

The Czech Republic should have had the law already in 2004 when it entered the EU.

Some rightist deputies say, however, such law is unnecessary if not harmful and they say it is an evil forced on the Czech Republic by the EU.

The left, on the contrary, says the law is important. They say, however, the government has submitted a "toothless" bill that only provides insufficient protection against discrimination.

Justice Minister Jiri Pospisil (senior ruling Civic Democrats, ODS) said today many rules contained in the bill are already embedded in the Czech legal order.

Deputy Boris Stastny (ODS) said the bill amounts to a "brutal interference of the state" in subjective decision-making of individual citizens.

He proposed that the Chamber of Deputies approve simultaneously with the bill a resolution saying no law can artificially remove the natural differences between people.

Stastny also said the deputies should state that they pass the bill as something that ensues from the country’s commitments towards the EU and that they do not identify themselves with its ideological meaning.

Ombudsman Otakar Motejl, who was present at the Chamber of Deputies’ debate on the bill today, said, on the contrary, he believes the new legislation may help mitigate discrimination.

"The problem (discrimination) does exist here," Motejl said and supported the bill’s advancement to the final reading.

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