Mr President, the European Union already has a quarter of a century of legislative tradition which obliges it to take equality between women and men in working life seriously. The directive under discussion today took on its original form as early as 1976. We can state that in over a quarter of a century our societies have developed considerably in many respects and it is time to revise our view of equality between women and men at work to meet the requirements of today. The Treaty of Amsterdam also obliges us to do so, as it lays down that equality between women and men must be broadly taken into account in all the work of the Community. We are now facing entirely new challenges which we must tackle through legislation. In this directive the European Union presents for the first time actions binding on Member States to prevent sexual harassment which is prevalent in the workplace. In this respect, I can also state that research shows that one in two women in the European Union has suffered sexual harassment at work. It is quite clear that from time to time this can also affect men; men can also be the victims of sexual harassment but as a rule, however, still today the victims are mainly women. In this respect, the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities suggests that we go a little further than the Commission originally intended. The Committee would like the Member States to start preventive work to prevent sexual harassment and for employers to be obliged to create working conditions in which sexual harassment is unlikely. I have also emphasised the fact that this may improve the position of the employer, since if employers can show that they have initiated such preventive work, they will surely be in a stronger position should conflict arise. Maternity protection also needs strengthening. I myself am from Finland and it is often thought that Finland is a model country in terms of equal opportunities. However, I can say that in our country too women around the age of thirty, for example, are having abortions more often than should be the case. Research carried out into the reasons behind this found that this may be due to there being so much competition in the workplace. Employers discriminate against women who are at an age where they are likely to have children. We would like to put a stop to this once and for all. This is sexual discrimination, which is banned. This directive also gives the victims of sexual discrimination stronger legal protection and also requires that victims of sexual discrimination are still able to take legal action even once a working relationship has been terminated. Here they can receive support from an independent body, which this directive requires be set up. I am sure that such independent bodies for equal opportunities already exist in most Member States but I would like to emphasise the importance of this issue when considering candidate countries. In another context the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities has focused considerable attention on the fact that issues concerning equality between women and men in candidate countries have not been as strongly emphasised in accession negotiations as they should have been. This can also be strengthened by creating sufficient institutions whose task, according to the law, is to ensure that equality is achieved and even promoted. I would like to emphasise that social development has brought with it new types of equality issues. There was a great deal of discussion within the Committee on whether young men and fathers need stronger protection against sexual discrimination. I believe that we have reached a good compromise in including fathers and their rights in this directive. In my opinion, this is highly appropriate at a time when the equal opportunities discussion has largely moved towards looking at how men can take part in realising their family responsibilities. In this way, we will be able to head towards real equality. (Applause)

Political group: Verts-ALE