Fundación Secretariado Gitano congratulates the president of the Independent Authority for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination on her appointment [editar]

• For the FSG, the appointment satisfies a demand that has been reiterated on numerous occasions, given that it is a key requirement for the application of anti-discrimination law to be truly effective in Spain.
• The FSG places itself at the disposal of the Government and the new Independent Authority to contribute to the design of the statutes that will regulate its functioning and, in general, to the fulfilment of its functions.
  
  
  

The Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) welcomes the appointment of María Teresa Verdugo as president of the Independent Authority for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination, published on 28 May in the Official State Gazette.

This is a key figure in the institutional framework for equal treatment and non-discrimination, in application of state and EU regulations. The Independent Authority's statutes have yet to be approved, and the drafting and proposal for their approval is the responsibility of its head, according to Law 15/2022, of 12 July, on equal treatment and non-discrimination. The same law foresaw the approval of the statutes within six months, which is why the FSG has been urging the appointment of such an authority ever since.

Another of the FSG's demands is the effective application of the anti-discrimination law developed in recent years in Spain. Whether due to a lack of political will or to ignorance, practically no sanctions have been imposed in application of this law, which means that this regulation often becomes a dead letter.

The Authority's main functions include ‘the independent provision of specialised assistance and guidance services’ to those who have suffered discrimination on any of the grounds set out in the law (‘birth, racial or ethnic origin, sex, religion, conviction or opinion, age, disability, sexual orientation or identity, gender expression, illness or health condition, serological status and/or genetic predisposition to suffer pathologies and disorders, language, socio-economic situation, or any other personal or social condition or circumstance’). It will also be able to initiate ‘investigations into the existence of possible situations of discrimination’, transferring any criminal offences to the Public Prosecutor's Office and, if necessary, ‘bring legal action in defence of the rights derived from equal treatment and non-discrimination’.

In addition to ‘ensuring compliance with the regulations governing equal treatment and non-discrimination’, the comprehensive law considers the Independent Authority to be a basic point of reference in the design of public policies; specifically, it must ‘report, on a mandatory basis, on the State Strategy for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination, as well as on those state plans and programmes of special relevance in this area’.

Involvement of civil society

In order to carry out these functions, combat discrimination and guarantee the protection of fundamental rights, both European and national legislation recognise that the active participation of civil society and, in particular, of organisations representing groups that are potential victims of discrimination, is essential. From this perspective, the Fundación Secretariado Gitano offers its collaboration to the Independent Authority in the fulfilment of its objectives, which are fully shared. In addition, the FSG hopes that the organisations that work with potential victims of discrimination will participate in the design of the statutes that will regulate the functioning of the authority.

The FSG is a member of the Council for the Elimination of Racial or Ethnic Discrimination, attached to the Ministry of Equality, and coordinates the Service for Assistance and Guidance to Victims of Racial or Ethnic Discrimination.

Among its most recent initiatives, the FSG has launched the Equal Treatment Programme, for the Non-Discrimination of Roma People, with a presence in 12 Autonomous Communities, and coordinates the regional services of assistance to victims of discrimination in the Autonomous Community of Navarre and the Autonomous Community of Valencia.

In addition to direct attention to victims, including their legal defence in strategic litigation actions, another of the FSG's basic lines of action is training and awareness-raising at different levels on equal treatment and non-discrimination, in accordance with international standards on fundamental rights.