Transforming the Protection against Political Discrimination in Europe

Objective

With the core research question “How can laws in Europe more effectively address political discrimination while balancing it with other fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of association?” POLARIS responds to the urgent yet underexplored contemporary societal challenge in Europe that is the unequal treatment based on political opinion. It pursues three specific research objectives: SO1 (theoretical): To develop a theoretical and conceptual framework for defining and typologising political discrimination, drawing on socio-legal, political science, psychology, and intersectional scholarship, using an intersectional lens. SO2 (empirical): To map and critically analyse the current legal, judicial and quasi-judicial responses to political discrimination in Europe, while applying an intersectional lens. SO3 (policy): To develop and impart legislative and policy recommendations for effectively addressing political discrimination to legislative decision-making authorities in the EU and at the three countries in focus. POLARIS develops a novel interdisciplinary typology of political discrimination to ground both legal and policy responses in lived realities. The project combines doctrinal analysis and socio-legal research with insights from other disciplines to better understand and respond to real-life manifestations of political discrimination and its systemic consequences. Its comparative component focuses on three polities marred by societal divisions: Belgium, North Macedonia and Northern Ireland. All three are bound by EU non-discrimination law as current, prospective and past EU members, offering an ideal base for a critical evaluation of the EU’s non-discrimination regime and optimal conditions to identify viable windows for policy reform. POLARIS will not only advance legal scholarship, but also support the EU founding values of equality and gender equality, the implementation of key EU directives, and contribute to global goals SDG 10 and 5.