Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-08-Speech-1-068"
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".
Mr President, I welcome this joint debate on International Women's Day on the issues relevant to millions of women. This is a day not only to celebrate but also to reflect.
The Commission has also undertaken concrete initiatives to improve the implementation of gender mainstreaming in development and external relations policy. Furthermore, it applies a proactive staff policy within its own services. Apart from this, an intensive exchange of views between the European Parliament and the Commission concerning the implementation of gender budgeting has taken place.
Regarding Mrs Karamanou's second question, the current Commission cannot make any commitment on how the new Commission will organise its work and what the main issues of the portfolios will be. However, the fundamental commitment to promote gender equality in European policies and measures will not change. Nevertheless, a high-level mechanism dealing horizontally with equality is fundamental, as it ensures high-level leadership. A top-down approach – which is also necessary – enhances visibility of equality issues and promotes networking. Specific arrangements regarding the functioning of such a group will have to be decided by the next college.
I would like to warmly thank Mrs Gröner, the rapporteur on the Daphne II programme, for her cooperation and the quality of her work on this proposal which is equally important for Parliament and the Commission. The Commission attaches great importance to the renewal of the Daphne programme, which clearly meets a deeply felt need within the voluntary sector and the general public.
Our aim is to establish a second phase of the Daphne programme for the period 2004-2008, building on the four years' experience gained during the implementation of the current Daphne I programme. All areas of violence, such as domestic violence, violence in schools and institutions, in the workplace, commercial sexual exploitation, genital mutilation, health impact, gender violence, trafficking – it is sad that there is such a long list of violence against women – remain important and should be the subject of actions. Organisations responsible for assisting victims are still the best channels for reaching and helping the beneficiaries of these actions. In addition, training bodies, universities, voluntary associations, research centres and local authorities are also eligible under the programme.
The programme will contribute to the general objective of providing citizens with a high level of protection from violence, including the protection of their physical and mental health within the framework of an area of freedom, security and justice. It is intended to prevent and combat all forms of violence against children, young people and women. By so doing, the programme will contribute to health and social wellbeing.
The text represents a well-balanced compromise that will enable the Community to resume the combat against violence for another five years with reasonable financial resources. I would also like to thank Parliament for that and for its swift treatment of this decision.
I am glad to confirm that the five amendments modifying the Council's common position are welcomed by the Commission. The first four redefine some concepts and clarify the scope of the programme and the fifth amendment requests the establishment of a help-desk to assist organisations in submitting their projects and subsequently in implementing them. The Commission welcomes this suggestion and is pleased to implement it. This will certainly be a useful tool to help organisations and may, therefore, increase the quality of the proposals that we receive.
Finally, I turn to the Bastos report on reconciling professional, family and private lives. I would like to congratulate the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities and in particular Mrs Bastos for this comprehensive own-initiative report. I also take note of the valuable contribution of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and its draftsman, Mr Schmid.
May I sit down, Mr President?
What are we celebrating? Certainly the progress we have made towards gender equality in the European Union and also our solidarity with women around the world in all countries, remembering in particular those living in conflict and poverty whose rights are violated daily. We must also reflect on how far we have really progressed. That may make us wonder whether we really have so much to celebrate.
The European Union is on the eve of an historic enlargement and we are about to become a Union of 450 million people, more than half of whom are women and girls. Yet we still cannot say that women in general enjoy the same status as men in European societies. Nor are they properly represented at national and international decision-making levels. Violence and trafficking in women or, rather, sex slavery – which is the real word for it – remain scourges that we have not been able to tackle effectively enough.
On the other hand, it is true that we have made considerable progress in the last 50 years, with the European Parliament being a key player. We have to build on those achievements and ensure that the recently proposed equal-treatment legislation outside the labour market will become European law. We must do everything in our power to ensure a balanced representation of women in the next European Parliament.
Gender equality goes hand in hand with democracy at all levels. Women's rights are human rights. Freedom from discrimination embodied in the Charter of Fundamental Rights is the cornerstone of democracy. But democracy requires more than an absence of discrimination: it needs governance. Good governance means sharing the power to make decisions in politics, economic and social life, public administration and in the home. We still have a long way to go.
I shall start by answering Mrs Karamanou. The Commission discussed the results of its activities to promote gender equality at the meeting of the Group of Commissioners on Equal Opportunities last Wednesday. We were both there. This meeting is arranged every year, It is chaired by President Prodi and attended by Members of this Parliament, also the Council presidency, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee, Commissioners responsible for the issues on the agenda, the chairpersons of the European Women's Lobby and the Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.
I would stress that the Group of Commissioners has an important role to play in raising the visibility of gender-equality policies and it has been actively promoting gender equality in several areas. The Commission can claim several successes in this area. One recent example is the adoption in November 2003 of the proposal for a new directive on discrimination based on sex in the area of access to and supply of goods and services. Another example is the first report on equality between women and men, requested by Heads of State and Government for the Spring Council, which was adopted by the Commission on 19 February. This report sets out the challenges ahead, as well as policy orientations for the future, in particular in relation to a new enlarged Europe.
Moreover, it should be noted that in its latest spring report the Commission calls on Heads of State and Government to commit themselves to adopting the new anti-discrimination directive before March 2005 and this proves clearly that gender equality remains a top priority on the agendas of the Council and Commission.
Apart from the modernisation and extension of legislation, the Commission has pursued the promotion of gender equality in the framework of the European employment strategy and of the social policy agenda. Gender mainstreaming – incorporating gender equality in all policy fields and at all stages of policy-making – has started to be implemented, along with other measures, both in Member States and at EU level. This is reflected not only in specific objectives and guidelines in the open method of coordination in the areas of employment, social inclusion and social protection, but also in efforts to close gender gaps in education, training and research. This approach is included in the steering documents on the Structural Funds."@en1
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