Principle of Non-Discrimination in the European Law

The main aim of the article is to reconstruct the essence and distinctive features of the principle of non-discrimination in the European law, jurisprudence and legal doctrine. In turn, the main research problem lies in the fact that the scope and entities of legal protection of non-discrimination along with the principle of equal treatment differ depending on the interpretation of these legal principles within the legal framework of the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe. Therefore, the question arises: in which legal order the principle of non-discrimination is more protected in practice, what kind of interaction exists between the European Union and the Council of Europe, and what mechanism of protection of human rights in this respect should be applied? On the basis of a comparative analysis, it should be concluded that the principle of non-discrimination is more broadly protected n in the law of the Council of Europe, in particular by the case-law of the ECtHR. On the other hand, recently it can be observed that the CJEU is increasingly referring to the principle of equality, in particular as regards extending its content and the scope of application. At the moment, as long as the European Union has not acceded to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), natural persons (EU citizens) can not complain about violation of the ECHR by the EU directly before the ECtHR.