The purpose of this, the 7th conference in a series of meetings between the Commission and the Japanese authorities, is the exchange of ideas and knowledge of equal opportunities in our societies.
Gender inequality is a feature of both our societies.
For the EU, this continues to be especially true of the labour market, despite the fact that the principle of equal opportunities has been a guiding force in the building of Europe from the beginning. European women have seen marked improvements in their rights and status, even though much remains to be done. 1998 will see further progress with the ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty and the new powers which it confers on the Union for promoting greater equality of opportunity. The Union has been developing a broad-based strategy for employment growth and the part played by women in the workplace has come to the top of the political agenda. Member States are being asked to give greater priority to policies which encourage women into work and the Union is lending support to those policies through the support of the Structural Funds, notably the European Social Fund.