Your monthly news update on the work of equality bodies to prevent discrimination and advance equality in Europe.

If you are old, chances are you have been discriminated against. It is so common in fact that, across the EU, over 40% of Europeans feel that discrimination towards older people is widespread in their country. Marking International Day for Older People, FRA calls on EU institutions and Member States to fully respect the rights of older people.

On 26 September 2019, a Baltic-Nordic ombudsman conference "Ensuring social and economic rights is a safeguard of a dignified life" took place at the National Library of Lithuania. At the opening of the conference, the Head of the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office greeted the ombudsmen from the Baltic and Nordic countries, the Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights of Lithuanian Parliament and welcomed the fact that conference discussions on protection and improvement of human rights and freedoms can be held in the Baltic-Nordic framework.

Notre ancien collègue Herman Wuyts est décédé ce 27 septembre.

Herman Wuyts avait enseigné les sciences politiques à la Erasmushogeschool à Bruxelles et était professeur à la Hogeschool Gent. Le 3 janvier 1997, il était devenu le tout premier médiateur fédéral. Avec Pierre-Yves Monette, il a développé cette nouvelle institution chargée de jeter des ponts entre les administrations et les citoyens. Il est resté médiateur fédéral pendant 8 ans.

Nous exprimons nos sincères condoléances à sa famille et à ses proches.

On Wednesday 25 September Irish Ombudsman Peter Tyndall delivered a briefing to the Parliamentary Justice and Equality Committee on his Office’s experience of dealing with complaints from people living in Direct Provision. In Ireland asylum-seekers and their children are accommodated in residential institutions, under a reception system known as ‘Direct Provision’. The system meets the basic needs...