European Diversity Day 2025: Diversity & Inclusion – An Essential Part of Democracy and Prosperity

Author: Petra Schwarz Koutská for Business for Society

This year’s ceremonial European Diversity Day 2025 conference, held in the historic Fantova Hall at Prague’s Wilson Station, was opened by Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák with the words that in today’s world, talking about diversity and inclusion is becoming “suicidal,” and it seems that being racist or homophobic is becoming normal again. Company representatives from the Diversity Charter community agreed that diversity and inclusion are going through difficult times.

In his opening speech, Martin Dvořák emphasized that diversity forms the very core of our society and is a vital part of democracy and equality. “These values are now being questioned as if they were some passing trend, while ideologies we thought were gone are reappearing. Prejudices against national or religious minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and attacks on women are resurfacing. We must hold firm to European priorities. Our culture is built on them and we must protect them now more than ever,” he stressed.

During the conference, speakers from responsible businesses repeatedly stressed that diversity must remain a fundamental and natural value, even amid short-term negative political trends. Pavel Štern, Director of Business for Society, referred to the current “cloudy times” for diversity. He also recalled the heroism of Nicholas Winton, who rescued hundreds of Czechoslovak children from the Holocaust – his statue stands at the train platform of the station.

The Diversity Charter Highlights Labor Market Trends

In the panel discussion “Diversity as a Value – and Why It Matters More Than Ever,” moderated by Klára Escobar, HR Director and Board Member at MONETA Money Bank, speakers shared European updates and local business experiences from Czechia and Slovakia. Irena Moozová, Deputy Director-General for Justice and Consumers (DG-JUST), explained that diversity is a continuous process of enrichment. “The Diversity Charter is a unique project of the European Commission, representing a network of 17,500 responsible companies and more than 17 million employees. That’s a major driving force in the labor market.”

DG-JUST is actively working on strategies to combat racism and antigypsyism, as well as new frameworks for gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. “To promote inclusion of people over 65, we use the concept of active seniors, mostly in mentoring roles. A dedicated intergenerational strategy for the silver economy is also in the works,” Moozová added. She also noted that international pressures are challenging diversity efforts in Europe, but the EU remains firmly committed to these values.

Zuzana Šillerová, Director of the ESG Office at ČEZ Group, pointed out that the goal should be for diversity to be so natural that it no longer needs to be explained. At ČEZ, diversity is communicated not as working with a minority, but with the majority — because at different life stages, everyone benefits from inclusive approaches (e.g., parental leave, illness, disability). “We foster an open and safe space where people can express their needs and opinions freely,” she said.

Jaroslav Grygar, Senior Manager, Business HR and WEEC at Beko Europe, shared the company’s long-term work with the Roma community and socially excluded groups in Poprad, Slovakia. Through partnerships with schools, they’ve helped people enter the workforce who would otherwise remain excluded. “We’ve been doing this for 12 years. Now, 31% of our workforce are Roma in standard employment. We no longer use staffing agencies. Prejudices are gone. We all eat in the same cafeteria. Integration happens naturally with support from our training center. Unfortunately, the government doesn’t support this work — it’s purely a company initiative,” he said.

Ivana Vagaská, CEO of Business Leaders Forum and the Diversity Charter Slovakia, joined online. She noted that the Slovak Charter currently includes 170 companies. Many responsible businesses there now find it harder to publicly support diversity, which is why platforms like the Charter are critical — allowing companies to share challenges and find support. Slovak firms don’t want to move backward and abandon the proven concepts of openness and support for employees that drive prosperity.

The Number of Diversity Charter Signatories Is Growing!

With the personal participation of Irena Moozová, Director-General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission, several new companies officially joined the Diversity Charter. They committed to fostering open, inclusive, and motivating workplaces: CPL Jobs s.r.o., DHL Supply Chain s.r.o., Herbacos Recordati s.r.o., and SAZKA a.s.

Diversity Charter Awards 2025

The highlight of the program was the official announcement of the 1st annual Diversity Charter Awards 2025. Since its launch in 2014, nearly 140 companies — including multinationals, large domestic firms, and SMEs — have joined the Charter. Together, they represent more than 200,000 employees and are helping reshape the Czech labor market for the better.

Awards were presented in four categories by independent expert juries. For the first time, the category ROMA Friendly Company was introduced to encourage greater Roma integration. Other awards recognized women’s advancement at work, multigenerational cooperation, and systemic implementation of D&I in corporate culture.

A total of 26 companies submitted 44 projects, judged by independent panels in each category (see full results here).

The event was held under the patronage of Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, and Marian Jurečka, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister.

Partners of the 2025 conference included ČEZ Group, Philip Morris Czech Republic, and the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic.

About the Conference

European Diversity Month, including the international European Diversity Day conference, is organized by Business for Society, the national coordinator of the Diversity Charter in Czechia. The conference brings together business leaders, public sector representatives, academia, and other institutions to shape the future of the modern labor market.