Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-20-Speech-4-024"
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"en.20031120.1.4-024"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I wish to begin by thanking the rapporteurs for their constructive work. I shall start with the Kratsa-Tsagaropoulous report.
As Mrs Dybkjær says, it is of course symptomatic that the gender equality programme is the least comprehensive, but that is something to which we are fairly accustomed, Mr Kinnock.
Equality between men and women begins in the home. The liberal challenge regarding gender equality consists in ensuring that women are given more power over their own lives. Even I as a liberal can say that it is a question of identifying structures that present obstacles to women being given the same opportunities as men. I am convinced that you, Mr Kinnock, are especially knowledgeable about this area.
Equality between women and men has of course been one of the EU’s basic principles since the Treaty of Rome. That principle was reinforced in the Treaty of Amsterdam and has gradually gained in prominence. It is therefore clear that we especially welcome this action programme and the legal basis that give the women’s organisations financial opportunities to do better work.
I think it important to say too that the activities engaged in by the European Women’s Lobby, which was founded by Mrs Lulling, is at present represented in fifteen Member States and has more than 3 000 members, should be prioritised and supported by us in this House today. Mrs Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou has talked in this Chamber about other organisations not included within the European Women’s Lobby, but they too are included in the action programme. I agree with Mrs Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou about the importance of diversity and of having organisations at all levels, but I would also give an assurance that the action programme is aimed at supporting both the European Women’s Lobby and other organisations.
I should like to say to Mr Kinnock that it is important for the EU also to guarantee that the organisations working on gender equality are treated equally and are given financial aid for longer than the two years you propose. A two-year aid programme does not provide financial security for any organisation. Another reason for supporting the action programme, which extends to 2008, is that we must be able to guarantee that organisations in our new Member States are also given an opportunity to seek aid within this programme. I think it important to add, and to emphasise, that it should provide more long-term security.
Mr Sacrédeus, who unfortunately appears to have left the Chamber, has done a good job concerning the programme covered by his report. The programme should help us and exists so that people in the various countries, regions and parts of the world that cooperate might have a better knowledge of each other. As a liberal, I fully and entirely support this work.
I nonetheless want to present three wishes based upon experience, of which I think we should take account. The aid must be easy to administer and apply for; it must be unbureaucratic; and it must be obtainable quickly. We know that many are reluctant to seek aid from the EU and within the financial framework we have, because there is a lot of red tape and it can be too late when the money is finally paid out. It must not be the case that, through these financial programmes partly aimed at making us more European, the European Union is associated with red tape, bureaucracy and tardiness, which are precisely what people do associate it with. That must not happen, and I hope, Mr Kinnock, that, in your continued work, you will ensure that we are given more aid and that there is increased access to these action programmes and to the money, so that they are of use."@en1
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