Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-03-12-Speech-1-040-000"
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"en.20120312.17.1-040-000"2
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"Madam President, my report, which is an own-initiative report, addresses a number of issues, some of which are controversial, sometimes surprisingly controversial. I will start with the first one: the one on quotas or binding targets for more women on the executive boards of listed companies.
I would like to start with a quote by an American feminist who said, decades ago already: true equality will only have been achieved if we have as many incompetent women in positions of power as incompetent men. I do not think I need to say much more about quotas, but I do not think there is anybody who is really in favour of quotas. The trouble is that, so far, voluntary measures have achieved next to nothing, and we need to do something because doing nothing is not an option. If we see the report last week from the Commission demonstrating that only 13 % of board members are female and only 3 % are actually leading listed companies, that is pathetic.
The Commission promised us concrete measures last year and last week the report, as I said, exposed the complete lack of progress. I have to say to the Commissioner that I am slightly disappointed at the follow-up. You propose another consultation, Commissioner, whereas after decades of stagnation and after a year of trying with voluntary measures, I would say that the time to act is here; it is no longer a time for words.
Another issue that to my surprise turned out to be slightly controversial and something that I would like to put on the political agenda is that of single-person households, not to be confused with single-parent households – single-person households. Thirty per cent of all households, Europe-wide, are single-person households. Only one person – not with children, just one person – and they are in relative terms and in absolute terms placed at a disadvantage; a huge disadvantage, compared to others when it comes to taxation, social security, housing, pensions, insurance and what have you.
The European Union does have all sorts of policies in support of families, which is fine; I support that. But demographic developments show that the composition of households is changing and it is time that the Commission recognised the new demographic reality and ensured fair and equal treatment for people living alone. No one should be either rewarded or penalised for the size or composition of their household.
I am also very happy that Parliament wholeheartedly endorsed the paragraph calling, or rather reiterating, its call, for a road map on LGBT rights. Commissioner, this is a very strong political appeal by this House – a repeated appeal – to the Commission to come forward with proposals for a road map analogous to the gender equality road map. If we can do it for women, and the European Union has achieved a lot for women and gender equality, we can do it for LGBT people.
Finally, I am also surprised and a little bit dismayed at amendments against the unblocking of the horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive and the calls to give fresh impetus to the talks on maternity and paternity leave. I mean, if you do not want quotas, if you do not want to address the gender pay gap, if you do not want to unblock the horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive, if you do not want to talk about maternity and paternity leave, then what do people actually want to do for gender equality? Because it is not going to happen spontaneously, colleagues; it is not going to happen. We have been waiting for decades; now is the time to act."@en1
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