Article
Case Law Analysis

OP v Commune d’Ans: Court Says No to Public Display of Religion for Public Employees

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Celestia Tavormina - Postgraduate researcher, Department of Transboundary Legal Studies, University of Groningen, Tobias Nowak - Assistant Professor, Department of Transboundary Legal Studies, University of Groningen
Keywords: Direct discrimination, discrimination, headscarves, indirect discrimination, neutrality policy, non-discrimination, OP v Commune d’Ans, religious discrimination, religious expression.

Abstract

Religious expression at the workplace is a recurring theme in preliminary rulings of the CJEU, not least because the CJEU repeatedly misses the chance to provide clearer guidance on minimum standards of inclusivity which the Member States should apply. This lack of guidance can be seen in the rulings addressing the wearing of headscarves by private employees in recent years. National courts and legal scholars were hoping in vain that the CJEU would clarify how to handle religious expression at the workplace. In its recent preliminary ruling in OP v Commune d’Ans the CJEU again failed to clarify certain contested issues but also extended its unclear interpretation to public employees. This case note examines the potential harm caused by lack of definitive answers from the CJEU, the difficult balancing act between EU non-discrimination law and state competencies, and the need for an EU interpretation of religious freedom to evolve in order to properly serve its citizens.

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