The General Equal Treatment Act resulted from the European antidiscrimination directives adopted in 2000. They required Germany as well as the other EU Member States to include antidiscrimination regulations in their domestic law. In Germany the AGG transposed those EU directives into national law. Since the law came into force in 2006, persons affected by discrimination can file an individual complaint.

The AGG prohibits discrimination when accessing publically available services such as nightclubs. Here, the AGG amongst other things focuses on services for the wider public (so-called bulk business).

The central provisions in the AGG regarding the entry to nightclubs are to be found in § 19, § 20 and § 21.