Mr President, in this second reading I would like to present a legal report that is broad in scale. Its purpose is to bring up to date the European Union’s most important directive regarding equality at work, which was originally enacted in 1976. Society has changed a great deal in a quarter of a century, so the Committee has worked hard to bring all the issues being raised in modern times to this report. I would like to thank my colleagues and the other political groups for the intensive, fruitful co-operation we have had prior to this second reading also. Firstly, for the first time, the Commission has proposed binding action for the Member States to adopt in order to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Up till now there have just been recommendations and there have been very different practices among the various Member States. Now the European Parliament is repeating its demand, which the Council has not approved, that the Member States should oblige employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The Committee has found that a certain system that may be very useful in preventing and remedying damage resulting from sexual harassment is that each workplace should have a confidential counsellor people can turn to in such cases. Another important issue is that the directive seeks to strengthen rights associated with maternity, adoption and parenthood in general and to protect mothers in particular – but also fathers – from the sort of discrimination shown to young parents. Every day we hear examples of how employers still ask young women whether they intend to have children in the next few years, and this is how a very large number of people seeking employment might become the victims of serious discrimination. This has already been illegal in the past but this discrimination must still be absolutely prevented. The European Parliament is proposing that this directive will serve to bring this about once and for all. This also covers the issue whereby a person must have the right to return to the same job, or at least a similar one, and with the same terms and conditions of employment, after a period of maternity leave, for example. As rapporteur, I have tabled an amendment in which I also want to emphasise that the unfavourable treatment of fathers must be declared to be discrimination forbidden under this directive. It is absolutely vital that Parliament tomorrow adopts the amendments tabled by the rapporteur and some groups, in which both fathers and mothers are protected and which refer, for example, to exercising the right to parental leave, so that discrimination cannot take place. We all understand how important co-ordinating work and family life is for young families and our children too. It is excellent to see that recently the Commission has also realised that day care is an important matter and that it will be possible in this way to raise the employment rate for women to that for men in order to increase the number of employees. That obviously does not happen unless there is a good system of day care. This directive does not lay down legal provision for new rights, but seeks to protect those who want to exercise their rights – both fathers and mothers – from discrimination at work. Parliament is proposing that the plans for equality in the workplace be adopted. This is a very strategic proposal, as equality must be actively and systematically promoted at grassroots level, in other words, where people work. It has been a joy to see that employers’ organisations have also actually approved this idea. I hope that we will get wide support for this proposal. I would like to thank the Commission for its very constructive attitude. I believe that, united, we will see a decision taken on this directive soon. If the Council does not approve all Parliament’s proposals legislative conciliation may be begun very swiftly.

Political group: Verts-ALE