8. Calls, therefore, on the Commission to allocate/ensure the availability of the resources and expertise
needed to develop and collect data, for the EU as a whole and for each Member State, as well as for theapplicant countries, in order to improve the quality of the annual report and the ongoing debate on equal
opportunities in Europe;
9. Considers that actions should be laid down and steps taken to overcome the obstacles to women’s
access to decision-makingposts in the field of political and trade union activity and within firms, and to
identify the disincentives (such as inadequate support for female party members, inconvenient times and
places for meetings, lack of information or attitudes hostile to women’s presence and participation); furtherconsiders that these actions could be used by the Commission and the Member States to promote aware-ness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public in order to focus attention on the importance of a
balanced participation of women and men in decision-making;
10. Calls on the Commission to set up an investigation into the educational level of women, their
choice of education, the advice given to them on courses and careers to follow, and their chances to
participate on an equal footingwith men in workinglife and in the political decision-makingprocesses;
calls also on the Commission to set up a campaign to encourage diversity in the career choices of womenand girls;
11. Calls on the Commission to undertake a study to determine what bearingpart-time work and aty-
pical employment have on pay, social security contributions, women’s pensions and the spread of female
poverty;
12. Calls on the Commission to consider how far women and men can truly be said to be equal in
terms of social, tax, and economic rights;
13. Considers that any type of aid, funding, or benefit granted by the Union must be subject to the
requirement to observe the principle of equal pay for men and women;
14. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, in particular, to see how new sectors such as
information and communications technology can create new job opportunities for women; believes also
that educational opportunities need to be considered, in addition to the possibility, in this connection, ofan information campaign to persuade more women to enter this sector;
15. Recognises that equal opportunities also require men to take part in the process, for example, by
helpinglook after children, etc.; calls, therefore, on the Commission and Member States to ensure that
legislative measures do not have adverse implications for women’s involvement in the labour market;
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.
9. Situation in the Middle East
B5-0798 and 0799/2000
European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Middle East
The European Parliament,
Rdash havingreg ard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East peace process,
Rdash havingreg ard to the statements made by the European Union Presidency on 30 September and
1 October 2000,22.6.2001 EN C 178/283 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 5 October 2000
A. profoundly disturbed at the events of the last few days which have resulted in dozens of deaths,
includinga number of children, and hundreds of casualties in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the WestBank and Israel,
B. whereas the bloodshed which has claimed so many victims was sparked off by the provocative action
of Mr Ariel Sharon who decided, at a time of extreme tension in this area, to visit the Muslim religious
compound housingthe Dome of the Rock,
C. whereas, despite the stallingof the peace process after the conclusion of the Camp David neg otiations,
a number of efforts have already been made by the parties concerned, with the support of the United
States and the European Union, to restart it; whereas further proposals for the resumption of negotia-
tions have been made, concerningin particular Jerusalem,
D. whereas the European Union unreservedly endorses the peace process and is ready to make any
further effort which may be necessary to help guarantee permanent peace in this region,
1. Expresses its sympathy to and solidarity with the families of all the victims;
2. Condemns the act of provocation which sparked off the conflict, with its tragic and all too familiar
consequences;
3. Condemns also any use of force, which has tragic consequences for innocent victims, as a means of
resolvingconflicts between Israelis and Palestinians;
4. Firmly condemns the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli army and demands its immediate
cessation; calls for the settingup of a committee of inquiry to investig ate the events which have occurred
and establish where responsibility for them lies;
5. Calls for all extremist elements to be isolated and for any irresponsible acts to be avoided, so as to
prevent the peace process comingto a complete halt; calls for measures to be taken jointly by the Israelis
and Palestinians to prevent any further acts of provocation and eruptions of violence;
6. Urges that, in future, the parties concerned refrain from any action likely to spark off further con-
frontation;
7. Calls on the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to ensure that all efforts are made to reach an agreement
which is now, more nearly than ever, within their grasp; hopes that recent meetings between Israeli and
Palestinian representatives will lead to positive conclusions, takingaccount of recent proposals to resolvethe situation in Jerusalem, in accordance with international law;
8. Calls on the French Presidency of the Council, the Commission and the High Representative for the
CFSP to renew their efforts to convince the parties concerned to resume negotiations, by undertaking tosupply, through the Commission and the EU Special Envoy to the Middle East, European Union expertise
in all the areas concerned, in particular regional cooperation, together with the necessary resources to
assist in the implementation of the agreements;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government
and Parliament of Israel, the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.C 178/284 EN 22.6.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 5 October 2000