Forslag til EUROPA-PARLAMENTETS OG RÅDETS BESLUTNING om ændring af Rådets beslutning 2001/51/EF om et EF-handlingsprogram vedrørende fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder og af Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets afgørelse nr. 848/2004/EF om fastlæggelse af et EF-handlingsprogram med henblik på at fremme organisationer, der er aktive på europæisk plan hvad angår ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder

(forelagt af Kommissionen)

BEGRUNDELSE

EU's forpligtelse til at fremme ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder er allerede nedfældet i traktaten fra 1957 og er siden blevet knæsat i direktiver og i EF-Domstolens retspraksis. I traktatens artikel 2 anerkendes ligestilling som en afgørende opgave for Fællesskabet. I henhold til artikel 3, stk. 2, skal Fællesskabet i alle aktiviteter tilstræbe at fjerne uligheder og fremme ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder. Artikel 13 giver Fællesskabet myndighed til at træffe foranstaltninger til at bekæmpe forskelsbehandling af forskellige grunde, herunder køn. Fællesskabets retlige rammer sikrer, at kvinder og mænd er lige for loven, og der er blevet gennemført en lang række aktioner på europæisk og nationalt niveau. Men ligestillingen mellem mænd og kvinder i EU undergraves stadig af det forhold, at kvinder og mænd ikke har samme rettigheder i praksis, og det forhold, at kvinder er underrepræsenteret, og at der begås vold mod kvinder, viser, at der eksisterer strukturelle uligheder mellem kvinder og mænd. Det er derfor fortsat nødvendigt at give støtte for at sikre en effektiv ligestilling af mænd og kvinder overalt i samfundet.

EF-handlingsprogrammet vedrørende fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder (2001-2005) [1], som er det femte handlingsprogram inden for dette område, blev vedtaget af Rådet den 20. december 2000 og løber fra den 1. januar 2001 til den 31. december 2005 med et budget på 50 mio. EUR. Handlingsprogrammet støtter fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder (2001-2005), som udgør en ny strategi, der omfatter alle EU's politikker for at fremme gennemførelsen af ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder ved at fastlægge de nødvendige horisontale aktiviteter og ved at forbedre koordineringen af ligestillingsrelaterede aktiviteter inden for de for de forskellige politikområder.

[1] EFT L 17 af 19.1.2001, s. 22.

Dette program har følgende mål med tilhørende emneområder:

(a) At fremme og udbrede de værdier og adfærdsnormer, der er en forudsætning for ligestilling mellem kvinder og mænd. Dette emneområde dækker oplysningsaktiviteter med henblik på at fremhæve fællesskabsdimensionen i indsatsen til fremme af ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder. Det kan omfatte tværnationale konferencer, seminarer og kampagner, omfattende arrangementer på EU-niveau, publikationer og internetsider.

(b) At forbedre kendskabet til spørgsmålet om ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, herunder direkte og indirekte kønsdiskriminering og diskriminering mod kvinder på flere fronter, ved at undersøge effektiviteten af politik og praksis gennem en forudgående analyse, opfølgning af gennemførelsen og evaluering af virkningerne. Dette emneområde omfatter f.eks. støtte til udarbejdelse af sammenlignelige statistikker og indikatorer, en EU-analyse af ligestillingsdimensionen i politikker og foranstaltninger, opfølgning af gennemførelsen af Fællesskabets ligestillingslovgivning, undersøgelser samt offentliggørelse af en årsberetning om ligestilling.

(c) At forberede hovedaktørerne (ikke-statslige organisationer, arbejdsmarkedsparterne på EU-niveau, tværnationale netværk af regionale og lokale myndigheder), således at de er bedre rustet til at varetage deres opgaver i ligestillingens interesse effektivt, navnlig gennem støtte til udveksling af informationer og praktiske erfaringer og til etablering af netværkssamarbejde på EU-plan.

Nærmere oplysninger om mulige aktioner inden for hvert emneområde er anført i bilaget til Rådets beslutning om programmet. Aktionerne bør gennemføres inden for en tværnational ramme med henblik på udvikling af merværdi på fællesskabsplan. Programudvalget har fastlagt årlige prioriterede emner til indkaldelsen af forslag: lige løn i 2001, mulighed for at skabe sammenhæng mellem arbejde og familieliv i 2002, kvinders deltagelse i beslutningsprocessen i 2003 samt kønsroller og stereotype forestillinger om kønnene i 2004/2005.

Dette program bidrager til en mainstreaming af ligestillingselementet i alle politikker og til en anvendelse af de muligheder, disse giver, for at fremme ligestillingen og øge bevidstheden om de pågældende spørgsmål. Endvidere styrker programmet samarbejdet og partnerskabet mellem de aktører, der arbejder på fremme af ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, især nationale myndigheder, ligestillingsorganer, arbejdsmarkedsparter og ikke-statslige organisationer. En midtvejsevaluering er blevet gennemført med støtte af uafhængige eksperter med henblik på at give Kommissionen oplysninger om, hvorledes den yderligere kan styrke og forbedre systemet for fællesskabsstøtte til fremme af ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder.

Et andet EF-handlingsprogram, hvis mål er at støtte organisationer, der er aktive på europæisk plan hvad angår ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, blev for nylig vedtaget af Europa-Parlamentet og Rådet den 29. april 2004 [2] og løber fra 1. januar 2004 til 31. december 2005 med et budget på 2,2 mio. EUR. Med denne afgørelse får den langvarige praksis for støtte til organisationer, der arbejder på fremme af ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, et egentligt retsgrundlag.

[2] EUT L 157 af 30.4.2004, s. 18.

Begge programmer slutter samtidigt på et tidspunkt med generelt store ændringer i opbygningen og arbejdet i et udvidet EU, hvilket nødvendiggør omfattende overvejelser om den fremtidige fremgangsmåde til gennemførelse af den social- og arbejdsmarkedspolitiske dagsorden, især med henblik på strukturen i EF-handlingsprogrammer vedrørende beskæftigelse samt det sociale og arbejdsmarkedspolitiske område. I øjeblikket findes der fem sådanne programmer, der gennemføres på samme måde og støtter sammenlignelige foranstaltninger. Ud over de to ligestillingsprogrammer omfatter disse to handlingsprogrammer, hvis mål er støtte til den åbne koordinationsmetode på beskæftigelsesområdet (foranstaltninger til fremme af beskæftigelsen) og området social integration (handlingsprogrammet for social integration) samt et program, der omhandler bekæmpelse af forskelsbehandling. Med ligestillingsprogrammerne som eneste undtagelse udløber alle programmerne ultimo 2006.

Forslaget til Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets afgørelse om et rammeprogram for finansiering af aktioner inden for områderne beskæftigelse, social- og arbejdsmarkedspolitik dækker samme periode som de nye finansielle overslag, dvs. 2007-2013 [3]. Kommissionen har indgående analyseret den fremtidige gennemførelse af den social- og arbejdsmarkedspolitiske dagsorden og herunder målene og arbejdet i EF-handlingsprogrammerne og sammenhængen mellem disse. Det nye forslag for tidsrummet 2007-2013 sigter på at forenkle budgetstrukturen ved at samle eksisterende EF-handlingsprogrammer i ét omfattende rammeprogram, som giver mulighed for samme former for medfinansierede aktioner, nemlig analyser og undersøgelser, støtte til europæiske udvekslingsmekanismer, oplysningskampagner og støtte til organisationer i civilsamfundet. Emneområdet ligestilling i det foreslåede rammeprogram for tidsrummet 2007-2013 bygger på tidligere erfaringer og viderefører den finansielle støtte til udarbejdelse og gennemførelse af fællesskabslovgivning på ligestillingsområdet og til fremme af mainstreaming af ligestilling i EU's politikker. Programmet vil også dække støtte til EU-paraplynetværk, som er aktive inden for området ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder.

[3] KOM (2004) 488 endelig.

I overgangsperioden indtil vedtagelsen af det nye rammeprogram i overensstemmelse med ovenstående er det vigtigt at sikre, at EU's støtte til fremme af ligestilling videreføres, og at undgå enhver afbrydelse af de nuværende mekanismer til støtte for de mål, der er fastlagt i EF-traktatens artikel 13. De principper, mål og indsatsområder i EU's rammestrategi for ligestilling, som falder sammen med de mål, der er fastlagt i beslutning 2001/51/EF og bilaget hertil, forbliver fuldt ud gyldige i dette overgangsår.

Under hensyn til disse forhold foreslår Europa-Kommissionen, at begge programmerne inden for området ligestilling bør forlænges uændret til 2006.

Kommissionen foreslår derfor:

- at forlænge både EF-handlingsprogrammet vedrørende fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder (2001-2005) og EF-handlingsprogrammet med henblik på at fremme organisationer, der er aktive på europæisk plan hvad angår ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, indtil udgangen af 2006

- at ændre det samlede budget for det udvidede EF-handlingsprogram vedrørende fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder (2001-2005) til 61,5 mio. EUR og

- at ændre det samlede budget for det udvidede EF-handlingsprogram med henblik på at fremme organisationer, der er aktive på europæisk plan hvad angår ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, til 3,3 mio. EUR.

-

2004/0194 (COD)

Forslag til EUROPA-PARLAMENTETS OG RÅDETS BESLUTNING om ændring af Rådets beslutning 2001/51/EF om et EF-handlingsprogram vedrørende fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder og af Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets afgørelse nr. 848/2004/EF om fastlæggelse af et EF-handlingsprogram med henblik på at fremme organisationer, der er aktive på europæisk plan hvad angår ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder

EUROPA-PARLAMENTET OG RÅDET FOR DEN EUROPÆISKE UNION HAR -

under henvisning til traktaten om oprettelse af Det Europæiske Fællesskab, særlig artikel 13, stk. 2,

under henvisning til forslag fra Kommissionen [4],

[4] EUT C af , s. .

under henvisning til udtalelse fra Det Europæiske Økonomiske og Sociale Udvalg [5],

[5] EUT C af , s. .

under henvisning til udtalelse fra Regionsudvalget [6],

[6] EUT C af , s. .

efter proceduren i traktatens artikel 251 [7], og

[7] EUT C af , s. .

ud fra følgende betragtninger:

(1) Rådet fastlagde med beslutning 2001/51/EF EF-handlingsprogrammet vedrørende fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder for at forbedre kendskabet til forhold, som er forbundet med ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, for at fremme og udbrede de værdier og adfærdsnormer, der er en forudsætning for ligestilling mellem kvinder og mænd, og for at forberede aktørerne, således at de er bedre rustet til at varetage deres opgaver i ligestillingens interesse effektivt.

(2) Europa-Parlamentet og Rådet fastlagde med afgørelse nr. 848/2004/EF EF-handlingsprogrammet til fremme af organisationer, der er aktive på europæisk niveau inden for området ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder, for at støtte aktiviteter iværksat af sådanne organisationer, som har et løbende arbejdsprogram eller forestår specifikke aktioner, der fremmer et mål af almen europæisk interesse på ligestillingsområdet eller et mål, der indgår i Den Europæiske Unions politik på dette område.

(3) Begge programmer udløber den 31. december 2005. Det er af afgørende betydning at sikre kontinuitet i EU's politik for fremme af ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder med henblik på de mål, der er fastsat i traktatens artikel 13.

(4) Det er nødvendigt at forlænge programmerne med en etårig overgangsperiode, indtil der er fastlagt et nyt flerårigt rammeprogram for finansiering af aktioner inden for beskæftigelsesområdet og det social- og arbejdsmarkedspolitiske område i tidsrummet 2007-2013, herunder et emneområde om ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder.

(5) Rådets beslutning 2001/51/EF om et EF-handlingsprogram vedrørende fællesskabsstrategien for ligestilling mellem mænd og kvinder bygger på traktatens artikel 13. Men med ændringerne i Nice-traktaten udgør artikel 13, stk. 2, det konkrete retsgrundlag for vedtagelse af Fællesskabets tilskyndelsesforanstaltninger, der skal bidrage til bekæmpelse af forskelsbehandling. Det er derfor hensigtsmæssigt at lade artikel 13, stk.2, udgøre retsgrundlaget for ændringen af beslutning 2001/51/EF -

VEDTAGET FØLGENDE BESLUTNING:

Artikel 1

Beslutning 2001/51/EF ændres således:

1. I artikel 1 ændres datoen 31. december 2005 til 31. december 2006.

2. I artikel 11, stk. 1, ændres referencebeløbet fra 50 mio. EUR til 61,5 mio. EUR.

Artikel 2

Afgørelse nr. 848/2004/EF ændres således:

1. I artikel 1, stk. 3, ændres datoen 31. december 2005 til 31. december 2006.

2. I artikel 6, stk. 1, ændres den finansielle ramme fra 2,2 mio. EUR til 3,3 mio. EUR.

Artikel 3

Denne beslutning træder i kraft på dagen for offentliggørelsen i Den Europæiske Unions Tidende.

Artikel 4

Denne beslutning er rettet til medlemsstaterne.

Udfærdiget i Bruxelles, den

På Europa-Parlamentets vegne På Rådets vegne

Formand Formand

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Policy area(s): Employment and Social Affairs - Equality for men and women

Activit(y/ies): Support for the promotion of gender equality

Title of action:

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Council Decision 2001/51/EC establishing a Programme relating to the Community framework strategy on gender equality and Decision No 848/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community action programme to promote organisations active at European level in the field of equality between men and women

Amendment to Council Decision 2001/51/EC

1. BUDGET LINE(S) + HEADING(S)

Articles 04.0502 and 04.010405

2. OVERALL FIGURES

2.1. Total allocation for action (Part B): EUR million for commitment

EUR 11.5 million for commitment

This amount represents the budgetary impact of the proposal to extend the programme, which is due to end on 31 December 2005, for the additional year concerned, 2006. It is roughly equivalent to the budget for the year 2005.

2.2. Period of application:

1 January 2006-31 December 2006

2.3. Overall multiannual estimate of expenditure:

(a) Schedule of commitment appropriations/payment appropriations (financial intervention) (see point 6.1.1)

EUR million (to three decimal places)

>TABELPOSITION>

(b) Technical and administrative assistance and support expenditure(see point 6.1.2)

>TABELPOSITION>

>TABELPOSITION>

(c) Overall financial impact of human resources and other administrative expenditure

(see points 7.2 and 7.3)

>TABELPOSITION>

>TABELPOSITION>

2.4. Compatibility with financial programming and financial perspective:

X Proposal is compatible with existing financial programming.

Proposal will entail reprogramming of the relevant heading in the financial perspective.

Proposal may require application of the provisions of the Interinstitutional Agreement.

2.5. Financial impact on revenue: [8]

[8] For further information, see separate explanatory note.

X Proposal has no financial implications (involves technical aspects regarding implementation of a measure)

OR

Proposal has financial impact - the effect on revenue is as follows:

(NB All details and observations relating to the method of calculating the effect on revenue should be shown in a separate annex.)

(EUR million to one decimal place)

>TABELPOSITION>

(Please specify each budget line involved, adding the appropriate number of rows to the table if there is an effect on more than one budget line.)

3. BUDGET CHARACTERISTICS

>TABELPOSITION>

4. LEGAL BASIS

Article 13 (2) EC Treaty

5. DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS

5.1. Need for Community intervention

5.1.1. Objectives pursued

The objective of the prolongation is to ensure the continuation of the Community Action Programme on gender equality during the year 2006. The present programme will expire on 31 December 2005. The prolongation is deemed necessary to guarantee continuity of Community action in a transitional period characterised by important institutional changes until the adoption of a new comprehensive multiannual Framework Programme on the financing of actions in the employment and social field, including gender equality.

The objective of the Decision remains unchanged: to support and supplement efforts to promote gender equality including complementing legislative developments by:

- promoting and disseminating the values and practices underlying gender equality;

- improving the understanding of issues related to direct and indirect gender discrimination based on sex through improved knowledge and measurement and through the evaluation of the effectiveness of policies and practices; and

- developing the capacity of target players to promote gender equality.

5.1.2. Measures taken in connection with ex ante evaluation

This programme is the prolongation of the 5th Programme relating to the Community framework strategy on gender equality (2001-2005). An external ongoing evaluation started at the beginning of 2003 and will end in December 2006. The executive summary of the interim evaluation will be available on .

The Commission has drawn up an interim evaluation report based on the external evaluation available that will be made public soon. As explained in the interim evaluation report, the Action Programme has been designed to support the implementation of the Framework Strategy on gender equality with three main objectives, raising awareness, improving analysis and evaluation and developing capacity of players to promote gender equality. Results from the first three years show that the funded activities meet the objectives. Furthermore activities designed to raise awareness will in the process build up capacity - and vice versa - and both kinds of action either rely on or can be expected to promote policy analysis. This makes the classification of the eligible activities into the three strands somewhat artificial, as noted by the external evaluators.

The programme has an important role to play in supporting policy cooperation at European level. The broad formulation of the main objectives of each strand allows the funding of a wide range of projects with different durations, types of users and objectives to respond to the variety of objectives defined in the Framework Strategy on gender equality. Valuable direct contributions have been made by activities funded under strand 2 (such as expert networks and statistical work) and strand 1 (such as the Council Presidency and the Commission's conferences). The transnational projects run by national authorities have contributed to reinforcing synergy between national policies on gender equality.

On the other hand, the contribution of transnational projects subsidised under strand 3 is less apparent. Many projects deal with the development of methods and tools for which it is still too early to assess their impact. This will require further investigation in the course of the external evaluation.

5.1.3. Measures taken following evaluation

In the light of the preliminary findings of the interim evaluation, the Commission intends to develop more systematic information on the outputs of the Programme and its various activities. It is important to improve the synergy between the three strands by encouraging the flow of information and knowledge between the various activities.

For this purpose a regularly updated Commission website should be the major source of information and this message should be clearly passed to all project promoters. The comparable statistics developed by EUROSTAT in cooperation with the Member States, the studies conducted by the expert networks, the Commission's assessment of National Action Plans for Employment and social inclusion are all accessible from the Commission website. European conferences are also an opportunity to make the Programme's outputs better known.

Finally, it should be borne in mind that the fundamental raison d'être of such a Programme is its European added value. The Programme has to contribute to the development and the implementation of EU law concerning gender equality and to the promotion of the gender dimension in EU policies. This should be further analysed in the course of the external evaluation. In the context of the enlarged European Union, the Commission will pay attention to keeping all activities funded by the Programme in line with this fundamental requirement.

5.2. Action envisaged and budget intervention arrangements

In the context of the Amsterdam Treaty, gender mainstreaming has been firmly anchored in Article 3. In parallel to gender mainstreaming, specific actions in favour of women have proved to be essential in order to eliminate persistent inequalities.

Three sub-objectives have been identified to which correspond three major strands for actions under this Programme which run concurrently:

- promoting and disseminating values and practices underlying gender equality;

- improving the understanding of issues related to direct and indirect discrimination based on sex through improved knowledge and measurement and through the evaluation of the effectiveness of policies and practices;

- developing the capacity of target players to promote gender equality.

The Programme will work with a variety of target players selected from among policymakers in national, regional and local administrations, independent bodies responsible for the promotion of gender equality, non-governmental organisations, social partners, research institutes, the media, opinion-formers, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

The lessons of past programmes suggest that maximum added-value is obtained when programmes concentrate on a limited number of high-quality, large-scale coordinated activities where the emphasis is on supporting Member States' efforts to promote change at national, regional and local levels. This involves Member States' governments, local and regional authorities, social partners, grass-root NGOs, independent experts and academics.

The three strands will continue to operate as in the first five years as follows:

* Awareness-raising (Strand 1)

This strand aims at disseminating the lessons of the Programme and adding to the momentum needed for the acceptance of change in society. It will contribute to creating the political conditions necessary for legislative or other developments.

With the aim of supporting and improving the synergy between national policies on gender equality and also to develop a Community added value, this strand will support the implementation of initiatives, to be developed by the Member States authorities, on particular topics approved annually, after discussion with the Programme Committee.

It includes classical information and communication tools and targeted visibility/awareness-raising events or campaigns.

* Analysis and evaluation (Strand 2)

This strand aims at developing and improving various tools for collecting information, putting it into a useable and comparable form and ensuring its dissemination to the target players in the Member States. This will build on work carried out during the previous equality programmes.

The Programme should assist players in the different Member States to learn from the experience of others, with the objective of improving the effectiveness of their efforts to promote gender equality. Information about what is happening in the Member States needs therefore to be made available in a form which is readily accessible and which will be used by the players.

* Capacity building (Strand 3)

This strand aims at adding value to the capacity of players to address gender equality effectively. This is achieved by disseminating to these players good practices and lessons from experience and involving them in a process of transnational exchange and dialogue at EU level.

Past experience related to the grounds for combating gender discrimination has underlined the importance of working in partnership with target players in the Member States and with organisations working in the field of gender equality. Previous Community action in the field of equal opportunities between women and men and initiatives in the fields of disability and social inclusion have shown the value of bringing players together in transnational partnerships which can form the basis for the exchange of good practice.

5.3. Methods of implementation

The delivery mechanisms stipulated in the proposal are in keeping with to the classic Community approach to grants and co-funding on the basis of a detailed financial request. The actions to be taken may be funded by service contracts following open calls for tender or restricted calls for proposals addressed to the Member States or by subsidies for joint financing with other sources. In the latter case, the level of financial assistance from the Commission may not exceed, as a general rule, 80% of the expenditure actually incurred by the recipient. The Programme is managed centrally by the Commission.

The programme budget may also cover expenditure associated with preparation, follow-up, monitoring, auditing and evaluation activities directly necessary for the management of the programme and for the realisation of its objectives, such as studies, meetings, information and publication activities, expenditure associated with IT networks for the exchange of information and any other administrative and technical support expenditure on which the Commission may decide for the management of the programme.

6. FINANCIAL IMPACT

6.1. Total financial impact on Part B (over the entire programming period)

(The method of calculating the total amounts set out in the table below must be explained by the breakdown in Table 6.2. )

6.1.1. Financial intervention

Commitments (in EUR million to three decimal places)

>TABELPOSITION>

6.1.2. Technical and administrative assistance, support expenditure and IT expenditure (commitment appropriations)

>TABELPOSITION>

6.2. Calculation of costs by measure envisaged in Part B (over the entire programming period) [9]

[9] For further information, see separate explanatory note.

(Where there is more than one action, give sufficient detail of the specific measures to be taken for each one to allow the volume and costs of the outputs to be estimated.)

Commitments (in EUR million to three decimal places)

>TABELPOSITION>

If necessary explain the method of calculation

7. IMPACT ON STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE

7.1. Impact on human resources

>TABELPOSITION>

7.2. Overall financial impact of human resources

>TABELPOSITION>

The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months.

7.3. Other administrative expenditure deriving from the action

>TABELPOSITION>

The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months.

I. Annual total (7.2 + 7.3) // EUR 1.636.240

II. Duration of action // 1 year

III. Total cost of action (I x II) // EUR 1.636.240

The needs for human and administrative resources shall be covered within the allocation granted to the managing Directorate General in the framework of the annual allocation procedure.

8. FOLLOW-UP AND EVALUATION

8.1. Follow-up arrangements

The prolongation will continue to be implemented along the same lines as the Programme in its first five years. Implementation will involve participation in selection panels of calls for proposals, monitoring of ongoing contracts and financial control of all transactions between the Commission and the beneficiaries.

8.2. Arrangements and schedule for the planned evaluation

The Programme will be monitored throughout its operation. The Programme Committee will receive regular information prepared by the Commission. The monitoring will be adapted according to the needs of each of the strands and will include aspects of both quality assurance and financial regularity.

In addition, the Programme is subject to an interim report on its implementation which is currently in the process of adoption / has been adopted by the Commission on ... [10]. The ongoing evaluation will continue to provide the Commission with regular evaluation findings until the final report on the implementation of the Framework Strategy and this Programme which will be drawn up by 31 December 2006. The Commission was and will be assisted by external evaluators for both reports.

[10] SEC (2004) ... (to be inserted)..

9. ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES

All the measures funded are subject to ex ante, in itinere and ex post analysis by the responsible departments as regards content quality and cost-effectiveness. The grant application forms will require information on the identity and nature of potential beneficiaries so that their reliability can be assessed in advance. Fraud prevention measures (checks, reports) are included in the agreements or contracts between the Commission and beneficiaries. The Commission will check reports and ensure that work has been properly carried out before intermediate and/or final payments are made. Special attention will be made in order to avoid double funding. In addition, controls by the Commission or the Court of Auditors of the European Communities may be carried out on the basis of documents or on the spot.

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Policy area(s): Employment and Social Affairs - Equality for men and women

Activit(y/ies): Support for the promotion of gender equality

Title of action:

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Council Decision 2001/51/EC establishing a Programme relating to the Community framework strategy on gender equality and Decision No 848/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community action programme to promote organisations active at European level in the field of equality between men and women

Amendment to Council Decision No 848/2004/EC

1. BUDGET LINE(S) + HEADING(S)

A-3037 (No ABB 040503) and A-3046 (No ABB 040501)

2. OVERALL FIGURES

2.1. Total allocation for action (Part B): EUR million for commitment:

1.1 EUR million for commitment

This amount represents the budgetary impact of the proposal to extend the programme, which is due to end on 31 December 2005, for the additional year concerned, 2006. It is roughly equivalent to the budgets for the years 2004 and 2005.

2.2. Period of application:

1 January 2006-31 December 2006

2.3. Overall multiannual estimate of expenditure:

(a) Schedule of commitment appropriations/payment appropriations (financial intervention) (see point 6.1.1)

EUR million (to three decimal places)

>TABELPOSITION>

(b) Technical and administrative assistance and support expenditure(see point 6.1.2)

>TABELPOSITION>

>TABELPOSITION>

(c) Overall financial impact of human resources and other administrative expenditure

(see points 7.2 and 7.3)

>TABELPOSITION>

>TABELPOSITION>

2.4. Compatibility with financial programming and financial perspective

X Proposal is compatible with existing financial programming.

Proposal will entail reprogramming of the relevant heading in the financial perspective.

Proposal may require application of the provisions of the Interinstitutional Agreement.

2.5. Financial impact on revenue: [11]

[11] For further information, see separate explanatory note.

X Proposal has no financial implications (involves technical aspects regarding implementation of a measure)

OR

Proposal has financial impact - the effect on revenue is as follows:

(NB All details and observations relating to the method of calculating the effect on revenue should be shown in a separate annex.)

(EUR million to one decimal place)

>TABELPOSITION>

(Please specify each budget line involved, adding the appropriate number of rows to the table if there is an effect on more than one budget line.)

3. BUDGET CHARACTERISTICS

>TABELPOSITION>

4. LEGAL BASIS

Article 13(2) EC Treaty

5. DESCRIPTION AND GROUNDS

5.1. Need for Community intervention

5.1.1. Objectives pursued

The objective of the prolongation is to ensure the continuation of the Community Action Programme to promote organisations active at European level in the field of equality between women and men. The present programme will expire on 31 December 2005. The prolongation is deemed necessary to guarantee continuity of Community action in a transitional period characterised by important institutional changes (enlargement of the Union, a new European Parliament and a new Commission) until the adoption of a new comprehensive multiannual Framework Programme on the financing of actions in the employment and social field including gender equality.

The objective of the Decision remains unchanged: to support the activities of organisations active at European level in the field of equality for women and men, of which an ongoing programme of work or a specific action serves the general European interest the field of equality for women and men or pursues an objective which is part of the European Union's policy in this area.

5.1.2. Measures taken in connection with ex ante evaluation

The Programme which it is proposed to extend is a new one aimed at providing a legal basis for awarding grants to organisations active at European level in the field of equality for men and women for the years 2004 and 2005. Its adoption was made necessary by the new structure of the Commission's budget under the new Financial Regulation with effect from 2004.

5.1.3. Measures taken following ex post evaluation

The activities of the European Women's Lobby have in the past been subject to several annual evaluations by the Commission's departments. In addition, an audit report was drawn up in 1999 at the European Parliament's request. These results have shown that the Lobby's activities have an effective, significant impact, in particular by informing women of their rights, and that it has a substantial influence on policymakers at European, national, regional and local level with regard to the promotion of gender equality.

A report presenting the results obtained by the beneficiaries is scheduled for December 2006, in particular with a view to assessing its effectiveness as regards the achievement of its objectives.

5.2. Action envisaged and budget intervention arrangements

In the context of the Amsterdam Treaty, gender mainstreaming has been firmly anchored in Article 3. In parallel to gender mainstreaming, specific actions in favour of women have proved to be essential in order to eliminate persistent inequalities. The activities of certain organisations help to promote gender equality. The European Women's Lobby in particular, which is present in almost all Member States and has over 3000 members, plays a major role in promoting, monitoring and disseminating Community measures aimed at women with a view to achieving equality between women and men.

The general objective of the Programme is to reinforce Community action in the field of equality between men and women and the effectiveness of such action by offering financial support to organisations active at European level in the field of equality between women and men, including the European Women's Lobby.

The activities carried out by organisations which are eligible to receive a Community grant under the Programme will come under one of the following strands:

Strand 1: ongoing activities of the European Women's Lobby, whose members are, inter alia, women's organisations in the Member States of the European Union, subject to observance of the following principles:

- it must be free to select its members,

- it must be free to pursue its activities.

Strand 2: ongoing activities of an organisation pursuing an objective of general European interest in the field of gender equality or an objective forming part of the European Union's policy in this area. This applies to a non-profit-making body carrying out its activities exclusively in order to achieve equality between women and men or an organisation with a wider aim which carries out part of its activities exclusively to promote equality between women and men. An annual operating grant may be awarded to support the implementation of such an organisation's ongoing programme of work.

Strand 3: specific actions of an organisation pursuing an objective of general European interest in the field of equality between women and men or an objective forming part of the European Union's policy in this area.

5.3. Methods of implementation

The delivery mechanisms stipulated in the proposal are in keeping with the classic Community approach to grants and co-funding on the basis of a detailed financial request. The actions to be taken may be funded by subsidies for joint financing with other sources. In this case, the level of financial assistance from the Commission may not exceed, as a general rule, 80% of the expenditure actually incurred by the recipient. The Programme is managed centrally by the Commission

6. FINANCIAL IMPACT

6.1. Total financial impact on Part B (over the entire programming period)

(The method of calculating the total amounts set out in the table below must be explained by the breakdown in Table 6.2. )

6.1.1. Financial intervention

Commitments (in EUR million to three decimal places)

>TABELPOSITION>

6.1.2. Technical and administrative assistance, support expenditure and IT expenditure (commitment appropriations)

>TABELPOSITION>

6.2. Calculation of costs by measure envisaged in Part B (over the entire programming period) [12]

[12] For further information, see separate explanatory note.

(Where there is more than one action, give sufficient detail of the specific measures to be taken for each one to allow the volume and costs of the outputs to be estimated.)

Commitments (in EUR million to three decimal places)

>TABELPOSITION>

If necessary, explain the method of calculation

7. IMPACT ON STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE

7.1. Impact on human resources

>TABELPOSITION>

* Existing resources

7.2. Overall financial impact of human resources

>TABELPOSITION>

The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months.

7.3. Other administrative expenditure deriving from the action

>TABELPOSITION>

The amounts are total expenditure for twelve months.

1 Specify the type of committee and the group to which it belongs.

I. Annual total (7.2 + 7.3) // EUR 36.000

II. Duration of action // 1 year

III. Total cost of action (I x II) // EUR 36.000

The needs for human and administrative resources shall be covered within the allocation granted to the managing Directorate General in the framework of the annual allocation procedure.

8. FOLLOW-UP AND EVALUATION

8.1. Follow-up arrangements

The prolongation will continue to be implemented along the same lines as the Programme in its first two years. Implementation will involve participation in selection panels of calls for proposals, monitoring of ongoing contracts and financial control of all transactions between the Commission and the beneficiaries.

8.2. Arrangements and schedule for the planned evaluation

Given that this Programme is designed to promote gender equality, the functions of monitoring and evaluation naturally form part of the activities implemented, in such a way as to derive maximum benefit from them.

The Programme is subject to the submission of a report by the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the achievement of its objectives. This report shall be based on the results obtained by the beneficiaries and shall assess, in particular, their effectiveness in achieving the said objectives.

9. ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES

All the measures funded are subject to ex ante, in itinere and ex post analysis by the responsible departments as regards content quality and cost-effectiveness. The grant application forms will require information on the identity and nature of potential beneficiaries so that their reliability can be assessed in advance. Fraud prevention measures (checks, reports) are included in the agreements or contracts between the Commission and beneficiaries. The Commission will check reports and ensure that work has been properly carried out before intermediate and/or final payments are made. Special attention will be made in order to avoid double funding. In addition, controls by the Commission or the Court of Auditors of the European Communities may be carried out on the basis of documents or on the spot.