---
title: "Indirect discrimination"
description: "The EU counterpart of disparate impact: an apparently neutral criterion that puts a protected group at a particular disadvantage, unlawful unless objectively justified by a legitimate aim pursued by…"
canonical: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/indirect-discrimination
author: "Jorge García Aibar"
license: "CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)"
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197
version: "0.5.0"
updated: 2026-09-24
---

# Indirect discrimination

The EU counterpart of disparate impact: an apparently neutral criterion that puts a protected group at a particular disadvantage, unlawful unless objectively justified by a legitimate aim pursued by appropriate and necessary means [1].

- Developed in: [ch. 20, Disparate treatment, disparate impact and proxies](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/existing-law#disparate-treatment-disparate-impact-and-proxies)
- Chapters: [ch. 20, Existing Law](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/existing-law)
- Contrast with: [Disparate impact](https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/disparate-impact)
- In the glossary chapter: https://aigovernanceengineer.com/bok/glossary#t-indirect-discrimination

## Sources

[1] Council Directive 2000/43/EC (Racial Equality Directive) (Art. 2(2)(a) direct and 2(2)(b) indirect discrimination, with objective justification). Official Journal of the EU (EUR-Lex). 2000-06-29. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2000/43/oj/eng (verified: primary)