Legal status, role and competencies of the commissioner for protection of equality

Abstract

The Commissioner for Protection of Equality is an autonomous and independent state authority established on the basis of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination (2009), as a central national institution for protection from and suppression of discrimination. The article analyses the legal profile and position of the institution within the legal system, the role and scope of its authority in preventing and reacting to discrimination. In addition, the Commissioner’s acting upon complaints has been considered, as well as so-called strategic litigation, its potentials, and the indicators used for identifying strategically important cases of discrimination, and the requirements for initiating strategic litigation.

Keywords

• Commissioner for Protection of Equality
• discrimination
• complaint
• strategic litigation