Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-08-Speech-1-070"
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"en.20040308.7.1-070"2
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I want to continue speaking, it is just that I am not feeling well. I will try to continue sitting down.
Solutions for better reconciliation of work and family life do not lie in one specific measure. They require the appropriate combination of several instruments and there is a role for everyone to play – the Commission, Member States, social partners, social services and men and women who want to improve the quality of their lives. I very much welcome Parliament's support in strengthening our activities in this field and making full and better use of the existing instruments.
I now come to the last report, by Mrs Martínez-Orozco, on women from minority groups, which is of particular importance – as Mrs Karamanou has already mentioned. I would like to thank the rapporteur, other Members who have contributed to the report, and Mrs Karamanou for her statement.
The European Union has already done a lot to address the problem of multiple discrimination, which is faced by many women living in the European Union, by developing an integrated approach. This integrated approach is reflected in European anti-discrimination legislation and programmes. The racial equality and employment framework directives were adopted in 2000 and have now entered into force. They prohibit discrimination on a variety of grounds, including racial or ethnic origin and disability. They specifically refer to the problem of multiple discrimination and provide protection for women within minorities, as well as women generally.
The Commission shares the concerns expressed by the honourable Member in her report with regard to the delays in implementing these important directives in several Member States. The Commission has already begun to take action to ensure that all women and men living in the EU can benefit from effective protection against discrimination.
Member States are required by European legislation to establish bodies to tackle racial and sex discrimination and the Commission expects that the work of these bodies will help grassroots efforts to prevent discrimination against women from minority groups and to increase the opportunities open to them. As honourable Members are aware, the anti-discrimination directives are supplemented by a 100-million-euro Community action programme to combat discrimination. One of the important objectives of this programme is to tackle discrimination based on multiple factors.
On the issue of the Roma, I share many of the views expressed by the rapporteur. The Commission has also emphasised on several occasions that the elimination of discrimination against the Roma people must go hand in hand with respect for the fundamental rights of Roma women and girls, including respect from within their own community.
Gender equality is a principle of Community law and a fundamental aspect of the European social model. The full participation of women from all walks of life in society and the economy brings with it important economic and social benefits. The Commission reaffirms its commitment to mainstreaming gender equality and disability issues in its programmes and policies.
Reconciliation is a key concern at European level in employment and social affairs policies and the issues at stake are the promotion of more and better jobs and ensuring equal rights for men and women. The European Union tackles reconciliation from many different angles, using several instruments, such as legislation, the open method of coordination between Member States, and financing tools.
There are already a number of directives that facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life: the parental leave directive, the pregnant workers' directive and the directive on equal treatment as regards access to employment, vocational training and working conditions. Considering that we are on the eve of the biggest enlargement we have ever had, it is essential to concentrate on the effective implementation of the existing directives.
In December 2003 the Commission launched a re-examination of the working-time directive. The Commission invited comments on the current text of the directive and the need to introduce other initiatives in five areas, including measures to achieve a better reconciliation of work and family life. The Commission thinks that greater compatibility between the private and professional spheres and equality of opportunity between men and women would improve the overall equality of employment. Moreover, these measures would also improve productivity by increasing motivation and availability and by opening up greater opportunities for training. The Commission takes the view that a revision of the working-time directive could encourage the Member States to further improve reconciliation of working and family life.
In addition to legislation, the open method of coordination at European level gives special attention to this issue, in the areas of employment and social inclusion. The European employment strategy strongly encourages Member States and social partners to develop better means for reconciliation. I agree with the opinion expressed in Mrs Bastos' report that better reconciliation not only helps women to access employment and remain at work, but also contributes to reducing the pay gap and gender segregation in the labour market.
In the 2003 national action plans, reconciliation is seen by Member States as the prime factor in decreasing gender gaps. Six Member States set national targets to increase their childcare provisions. Since 2002, six Member States have changed their leave provisions or have committed themselves to improving them, particularly with a view to increasing fathers' take-up. In April the Commission will organise a peer review in Sweden, a country where opportunities to combine family and work underpin strong female participation in the labour market and a relatively high birth rate. Parental benefit is payable for 480 days with 60 days reserved for the father and mother respectively.
Eight countries – five old Member States and two newcomers – will learn from each other about ways of implementing maternity, paternity and parental leave schemes, setting parental benefits and improving access to child care.
The social inclusion process also pays attention to promoting the reconciliation of work and family life in the light of particular problems faced by low-income families. More recently the Commission published a communication on making work pay, which highlights the importance of appropriate reconciliation not only for women but also for men. It analyses the limitations faced by women in accessing the labour market and remaining in employment and presents good practice developed in Member States.
The Structural Funds – in particular the Social Fund, which supports the implementation of the employment strategy in Member States, and the Regional Fund – finance measures aimed at reconciling work in family life. For instance, in Ireland EUR 436 million will be spent over the period 2000-2006 to improve childcare facilities. Reconciliation was also the priority theme of the gender equality programme in 2002. Eighteen transnational projects were selected which focus on awareness-raising actions and exchanges of good practice."@en1
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