Public Policy and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation: An asset or a burden for EU?

Abstract

Winston S. Churchill said «I am always ready to learn, however I am not always prepared to be taught». This dissertation seeks to answer the question whether the public policy process is effective in the European Union (EU). In order to examine the latter, this dissertation falls into the category of policy case study, which is a specific form of qualitative analysis. In this context, the case study of “Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation” serves as a paradigm of better understanding the paths of social development and stages of policy process with regard to EU’s legal framework on anti-discrimination and public promotion of equality.This dissertation seeks to answer the above question with a focus on the EU, looking at both vertical opportunities by European institutions and horizontal ones provided by civil society. The EU provides an ideal setting for analysis because one can observe a norm of protecting sexual minorities and the only international binding legal protections for such minorities. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people are central to the analysis because they constitute a vulnerable social group, which share a common type of sexual orientation: homosexuality.