The Absence of Anti-Discrimination Law in the Global Reach of EU (Private) Law

This contribution analyses the external dimension of EU anti-discrimination law (that is, its application beyond the EU’s borders) from two perspectives. Section I asks: how is this body of law mobilised and how does it circulate beyond EU borders directly through EU actors, via accession procedures, agreements, neighbourhood policies and Court of Justice of the European Union case law? Section II asks: what role do private actors – such as multinational companies, law firms, and auditors – play in spreading EU anti-discrimination law through internal policies, contracts and other similar documents? Overall, this contribution concludes that from either perspective, the presence and, as a consequence, the influence of this body of law beyond EU borders is fairly limited. Some tentative explanations are offered to explain why this may be the case.