Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, met with the European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dali, with whom she discussed respect for diversity and the importance of equality as the foundation of every democratic society.

At the meeting, standards achieved in the field of human rights protection were discussed, as well as the importance of equality, which represent values common to all European societies, and are important for the process of Serbia’s accession to the EU. One of the topics was discrimination to which members of the LGBTIQ+ community are exposed, and the focus was on issues of gender equality and the importance of women’s participation in political, social, and public life.

Discrimination based on gender, as well as sexual orientation, is unfortunately still very present, although much has changed for the better in the past 10 years. Society has partially matured and there is a willingness to discuss the problems of the LGBTIQ+ community, but unfortunately homophobia and transphobia are deeply rooted. During the last year, there were several such examples on which the Commissioner issued opinions. I am very sorry that the holding of this year’s Europride caused such tensions – said Brankica Janković and added that everything that is happening shows how important the fight for human rights is, and that we should continuously work on getting to know each other, tolerance, and constant education, so that the fear of diversity does not become the main constraint for seeing the people around us in the first place as people, regardless of their gender, age, sexual orientation, skin color or religious affiliation.

The European Commissioner emphasized the great contribution and role of the institution for the protection of equality, which is dedicated to strengthening human rights, the rule of law and the further development of a democratic and tolerant society. The European Commission is currently preparing a legal proposal on standards for equality bodies, which is expected during the fall.

Commissioner Janković and Commissioner Dali agreed on the necessity of further strengthening the capacity of the institution, and during their meeting also discussed future activities and joint projects in various areas, with the aim of improving equality.