France's anti-discrimination laws promoting integration would continue to improve (see box) and reach best practice on definitions and concepts if the law punished discrimination by association on race/ethnicity and nationality. Whilst the grounds of nationality, race, and ethnic origin are addressed by a specific law, victims of religious discrimination have been able to rely on general equality provisions and parts of the Labour and Penal Code in the Court of Cassation and in HALDE deliberations. Enforcement would jump up to best practice with two small changes: if the average length of cases were reduced to under six months; and if courts should give harsher penalties to those perpetrators with a deliberate motive to discriminate based on religion or nationality. Equality policies do not reach best practice because, amongst other things, HALDE cannot take up a case on behalf of a victim, as is the case in countries like BE, CA, HU, and NL. Likewise, the state has not introduced positive action measures or obligations for public bodies to promote equality.
