Non-discrimination
1. Definitions
• Prohibition of discrimination (negative
approximation)  requirement of equal
treatment
• Encouragement of equal opportunity 
„positive discrimination”
2. Principled sources
• Theological: equality before God
• Secular: fundamental principle of just society – norm of Kant of equal
human dignity being due to everybody
Classical liberal democracy: equality before law = arbitrary nondiscrimination + principle of negative freedom (Mill)  prevention of
injury of other people
Rawls: The theory of justness – existent social differences
fair equal opportunity – not unconditionally
Unjust  2 fundamental elements of justness:
* certain people less for prosperity of other people =
unjustness
* greater preference of certain people, improvement of
conditions of poor people = not unjust
3. Non-discrimination as special
right
• Independent right
• Measure of enforcement of other rights  procedural requirement
Forbidden classification: race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion,
political opinion, social ground, origins, color, sexual orientation, age
+ „any other grounds” (which individual cannot influence  classical
case of discrimination)
Deviation from the prohibition need to be verified – tests:
• Reasonable differentation standing on objective basic: if there isn’t any
fundamental rights (earlier pension of miners)  rationality test
• Medium-strict examination: discrimination betwen genders, positive
discrimination  important state interest
• The strictest test: forcing state interest  „suspicious reasons”: race,
ethinicity
4. Its appearance
4.1. Mode of manifestation
• Direct
• Indirect (parttime)
• Victimization – causing agonies
4.2. Legal documents
• National: French Declaration, US Constitution (Lincoln:
13. prohibition of slavery, 14. due process, 14. general
suffrage)
• International: UN Charter, Universal Declaration,
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
ECHR Article 14 (accessorial right) + Additional Protocol
12, EU directives (2000/43, 78)
4.3. The Hungarian Constitution
Article 70/A para. (1) general egalitarian formula: race, color, gender,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origins,
financial situation, birth or on any other grounds  not only citizens, but
legal entity too, not only fundamental rights  Decision 61/1992 AB for
the whole legal system
Article 70/A para. (2) The law shall provide for strict punishment  Criminal
Code, Civil Code, Labour Code, act on administrative procedure, act on
consumer protection + Act CXXV of 2003 on equal treatment and
encouragement of equal opportunity  Decision 45/2000 AB
Article 70/A para. (3) measures for equal opportunity – positive
discrimination is not unconstitutional (Decision 9/1990 AB)
Other provisions: Articles 9 (property), 54 (dignity), 56 (legal capacity), 57
(court), 66 (man-woman), 70/B (labour), 70/I (general and proportionate
sharing of taxation), 71 (suffrage)
Test of MKAB:
• Discrimination concerning fundamental right  necessityproportionality test (stricter)
• Concerning non-fundamental right  rationality test (Criminal Code
Article 199)
5. Special fields
5.1. Discrimination on the basis of race
International:
• UN- 1965: All types of racial discrimination
• Council of Europe - ECRI
• EU - 2000/43
National
• US SC - Dred Scott (1856): Plessy v. Fergusson (1896):
„separate but equal”; Brown (1954): debarring of black
citizenship; if separate, inherently unequal; Bakke (1978)
• Hungary: Case of Góman/Tiszavasvári/Patvarc
5.2. Discrimination on the basis of gender
International
• UN Convenants + prohibition of discrimination against women
• Council of Europe: Article 14 + Additional Protocol 7 + Social Charter
• EU – labour of equal value ; ECJ: Kalanke: qouta system not,
Marschall: individual quality yes; Charter of Fundamental Rights
Article 23
National
• US v. Virginia (1996) – military school: the strictest measure
• Hungary: Decision 10/1990 AB – widow’s pension, Decision 46/1994
- women’s conscription, against men, too: Decision 7/1998 AB pension
advantage to weaver; Municipial Court of Monor - Case of Profi
5.3. Discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation
International
• Council of Europe the last several decades: Article 8 –
privacy  age limit of consent, army, placement of
children, but adoption not
• EU - directive 2000/78/EC expressly
National
• US - Bowers v. Hardwick (1986)
• Hungary: Decision 14/1995 AB, Decision 21/1996 AB,
Decision 20/1999 AB, Decision 37/2002AB rationality test
+ Sziget v. Tarlós
5.4. Positive discrimination
International
• UN: women and men
• Council of Europe: nothing
• EU: encouragement (see Case of Marschall)
National
• US: affirmative action: „inverse discrimination” on the basis of racism
vs. „color-blind fundamentalism”
• Hungary: unequality before the law (Heller, Gombár)
Decision 9/1990 AB, but in case of fundamental rights not!
Plan of Ministry of Education about entrance examination
Act on non-discrimination – Drittwirkung
* direct discrimination from point a) to t); indirect; persecution; illegal
separation; reprisal
* giving preference
* authority: from 01. 02. 2005
Thank you for your attention!