Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Milan Antonijević participated in a high-level conference dedicated to the implementation of the new EU Directives on standards for equality bodies, organized in Nicosia by the Office of the Cyprus Ombudsman and the European Network of Equality Bodies (Equinet).

The conference highlighted the importance of incorporating these EU Directives into national legislation, strengthening the role of equality bodies, and enhancing cooperation among institutions, civil society, and European experts in the protection of human rights.

The opening remarks were delivered by Maria Stylianou-Lottides, Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights of Cyprus, Anne Gaspard, Co-Director of Equinet, Marinos Moushouttas, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance of Cyprus; and Szabolcs Schmidt, European Commission, DG JUST, while Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, addressed the participants via video message.

Panel discussions focused on the status, competences, and mechanisms of national equality bodies, as well as on concrete steps being undertaken in national legal systems in line with the EU Directives.