MEP Brigitte van den Berg (Renew) has called on the European Commission to recognise discrimination on the basis of education as an emerging equality issue and to integrate it into EU policies, in a parliamentary question submitted on 22 July 2026. The Dutch liberal MEP warns that education-based discrimination can affect access to employment, housing, healthcare, public services and lifelong learning, reinforcing social exclusion. She points out that several Member States — Bulgaria, Croatia, Portugal and Slovenia — already explicitly protect education as a ground in their anti-discrimination legislation, and that the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights has recommended the Dutch government do the same.
The question, addressed to the Commission, contains three concrete asks: first, whether the Commission recognises education-based discrimination as an emerging equality issue deserving greater EU attention; second, how it intends to reflect this ground in its equality policies, monitoring, research and guidance, including through the Union of Equality strategy and cooperation with Member States; and third, whether it plans to support or launch EU-wide research into the prevalence, impact and implications of such discrimination for equal opportunities and social inclusion.
Van den Berg's initiative seeks to expand the EU's anti-discrimination framework beyond the grounds explicitly listed in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which prohibits discrimination on 'any ground such as' — leaving the list open-ended. By pressing the Commission on research and policy integration, the MEP aims to elevate education to a protected status comparable to age, disability or sexual orientation at EU level.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether it views education-based discrimination as a priority and whether it is willing to use its existing treaty competences — limited in anti-discrimination law — to address the issue through soft-law measures, funding or coordination with Member States. The question also puts pressure on the Commission to consider updating the Union of Equality strategies or launching a dedicated study, which could inform future legislative or non-legislative action.