High authority for the struggle against discrimination and for equality
Encyclopedia
The High Authority for the Struggle Against Discrimination and for Equality (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 Haute autorité de lutte contre les discriminations et pour l'égalité or HALDE) is a French "independent administrative authority" which "has the right to judge all discrimination, direct or indirect, that is prohibited by law or an international agreement to which France is a signatory."

HALDE was created by law n° 2004-1486 on December 30, 2004, published in the Journal officiel on December 31, 2004.

Composition

HALDE has twelve members who are appointed by the French President for five-year terms. They can neither be expelled from their posts nor reappointed at the end of them.
New members are added every thirty months, with five members being removed at this time (the president of HALDE stays, however). Thus, five of the first members were limited to 30 month-terms. These five will be selected randomly at HALDE's first meeting.

HALDE's members are chosen according to the following allotment:
  • two members (one woman and one man) share the presidency—they are selected by the French president;
  • two members (one woman and one man) are selected by the president of the French Senate
    French Senate
    The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president.The Senate enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected National Assembly; debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally enjoy less media coverage.-History:France's first...

    ;
  • two members (one woman and one man) are chosen by the president par president of the French National Assembly
    French National Assembly
    The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....

    ;
  • two members (one woman and one man) are chosen by the Prime minister
    Prime minister
    A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

    ;
  • one member (male or female) is chosen by the vice-president of the Council of State
    Council of State
    The Council of State is a unique governmental body in a country or subdivision thereoff, though its nature may range from the formal name for the cabinet to a non-executive advisory body surrounding a head of state. It is sometimes regarded as the equivalent of a privy council.-Modern:*Belgian...

    ;
  • one member (male or female) is chosen by the first president of the Cour de cassation
    Court of Cassation (France)
    The French Supreme Court of Judicature is France's court of last resort having jurisdiction over all matters triable in the judicial stream but only scope of review to determine a miscarriage of justice or certify a question of law based solely on points of law...

     ;
  • one member (male or female) is chosen by president of the French Economic and Social Council
    French Economic and Social Council
    The Economic, Social and Environmental Council of France is a consultative assembly...

    .

Duties

HALDE is aided by a consultative committee named by itself, including people who "have an activity within the scope of the struggle against discrimination and for the promotion of equality."

Cases are submitted to HALDE in three different ways:
  • Anyone who believes himself or herself to have been a victim of discrimination can appeal to HALDE, either independently, through a member of the National Assembly, through a senator or through a French EMP
    EMP
    EMP or Emp may refer to:Science and technology*Electromagnetic propulsion*Electromagnetic pulse, a burst of electromagnetic radiation*Electron microprobe microanalyzer, a tool for chemical composition determination...

    ;
  • HALDE can take pursue cases of discrimination itself, with the agreement of the alleged victim;
  • Any group (that is at least 5 years old) whose charter aims to "fight discrimination or to help victims of discrimination" can accompany the case of an individual who believes to have been a victim of discrimination, if this individual wants this.


HALDE is entitled to lead various hearings as well as investigations; it can also send files to the procureur de la République. HALDE also promotes equality generally, and can recommend modifications of existing laws or rules, and publishes a public annual report concerning its performance of its duties.

HALDE's members

  • President: Louis Schweitzer
    Louis Schweitzer (CEO)
    Louis Schweitzer was the previous Chairman of Renault, first taking that post on 27 May 1992 in succession to Raymond Lévy, and he was also CEO from 1992 to 2005. He is in addition Chairman of AstraZeneca where he was appointed as a Director 11 March 2004...

     (former CEO of Renault
    Renault
    Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

    ), appointed March 3, 2005

See also

  • Human rights in France
    Human rights in France
    The preamble of the Constitution of the French Fifth Republic, founded in 1958, recalls the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. France has also ratified the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the European Convention on Human Rights 1960 and the Charter of...

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