Our achievements

Over the years ILGA-Europe has been engaged in extensive activities aimed at promoting LGBT rights through the principal European institutions. These activities have done much to ensure a greater awareness of sexual orientation discrimination, and even more so, of gender identity discrimination, which until recent years, has been almost completely ignored by European level policymakers and legislators.

At the European Union these activities have included:

• lobbying for the inclusion of sexual orientation discrimination in the anti-discrimination provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;
• working to ensure the effective implementation of the Employment Directive at national level;
• seeking to ensure full recognition of the rights of LGBT families in the Freedom of Movement Directive;
• seeking to ensure the recognition of persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in the EU's legislation defining refugee status;
• using the criteria for accession to the European Union to pressurise governments of candidates countries to repeal discriminatory laws.

In 2004 ILGA-Europe played a significant role in the events leading to the withdrawal by the President of the European Commission of Mr Buttiglione’s nomination for the position of Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs. Working with its principal Italian member organisation, it collected evidence of Mr Buttiglione’s views on LGBT and women's rights and made this information available to MEPs participating in the hearing on his appointment. It formed the basis for a number of the questions put to Mr Buttiglione, his responses to which confirmed his unsuitability for the role.

At the Council of Europe ILGA-Europe contributed to the work leading to the adoption by the Parliamentary Assembly of recommendations on the situation of lesbians and gays in Europe, on immigration and asylum, and on proposals for the inclusion of sexual orientation in Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights. It has also contributed to the development of the case law of the Court, through making amicus curiae submissions in two crucial cases, Karner vs Austria (tenancy succession rights for same-sex partners) and Fretté vs France (adoption by a gay man). In 2000 it led a campaign opposing the candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of Walter Schwimmer, an Austrian parliamentarian who had consistently opposed moves to eliminate legal discrimination against LGB people in Austria. Although he was elected by the Assembly, his majority was reduced to just two votes, far below the level expected. A moral victory, it highlighted the fact that it was no longer acceptable for important European human rights positions to be occupied by homophobes - a development emphasised even more strongly by the Buttiglione affair four years later.

At the OSCE ILGA-Europe has raised LGBT rights during the annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting conferences for many years. It has recently been invited to contribute to a Law Enforcement Officers Training Programme on hate crimes.

ILGA-Europe has also contributed to the development of the LGBT movement in Europe, particularly in Eastern Europe. The annual conferences have provided an important forum for exchange of information and best practice on campaigning, both at national level, and in making use of the European human rights institutions. The newsletter, monthly EuroLetter, and media releases, ensure the circulation of critical information. Individual projects on documenting discrimination, for example in the context of EU accession, and health policy issues, have served both to highlight the extent of discrimination, and develop the capacity of the member organisations involved.