COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 21.02.1996 
COM(96) 67 final 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
"INCORPORATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 
FOR WOMEN AND MEN INTO 
ALL COMMUNITY POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES" 

I. INTRODUCTION 
1. The issues 
Equality between men and women is now indisputably recognised as a basic principle of 
democracy and respect for humankind. 
However, transforming it into legislation and practical reality presents a considerable 
challenge for societies with a long history of inequality behind them: in both 
industrialised and developing countries, inequalities between women and men are still 
apparent. 
The challenge is to build a new partnership between men and women to ensure that both 
participate fully on an equal footing in all areas and that the benefits of progress are 
evenly distributed between them. Such a change requires not only progress in the field 
of legislation but also nothing short of a cultural transformation of individual behaviour 
as much as of attitudes and collective practices, and determined political action based on 
the broadest possible mobilisation. 
The challenge facing the European Union is to build this new partnership between women 
and men, taking into account the historic and cultural diversity of the Member States, and 
drawing on this to develop a European approach to equality which is both pluralistic and 
humanistic and which constitutes the basis for action both in the Community and in the 
rest of the world 
The Union's commitment to this objective is a logical extension of the active role it 
played at the recent United Nations Conference held in Beijing, in particular its 
involvement in formulating the final Declaration and the action platform. 
For this purpose, it is necessary to promote equality between women and men in all 
activities and policies at all levels. This is the principle of "mainstreaming". a policy 
adopted by the Community, and attention was drawn to its crucial importance at the 
Beijing Conference. This involves not restricting efforts to promote equality to the 
implementation of specific measures to help women, but mobilising all general policies 
and measures specifically for the purpose of achieving equality by actively and openly 
taking into account at the planning stage their possible effects on the respective situations 
of men and women (gender perspectiveV This means systematically examining measures 
and policies and taking into account such possible effects when defining and 
implementing them: thus, development policies, the organisation of work, choices relating 
to transport or the fixing of school hours, etc. may have significant differential impacts 
on the situation of women and men which must therefore be duly taken into consideration 
in order to further promote equality between women and men. 
Equal participation of women and men is a crucial factor for lasting development and 
symbolises the level of political maturity of societies: while democracy requires equal 
rights for women, this in turn guarantees democracy. Meeting this challenge could 
therefore be part of the European project for the twenty-first century. By firmly 
committing itself to take into consideration the respective priorities and needs of women 
and men in all its policies and measures, the Community would demonstrate its 
attachment to democracy and its attention to the concerns of the citizens Furthermore, 
European societies would thus provide a forward-looking solution to the demographic and 
family changes with which they are confronted and which, given the ageing population, 
transform women's employment into a definite advantage for the economy which should 
be put to the best possible use with a view to ensuring optimum use of human resources. 
2. The acquis 
Since its creation, the Community has recognised the principle of equal pay for men and 
women and on this basis has developed a consistent set of legal provisions aimed at 
guaranteeing equal rights to employment, vocational training and, to a large extent, social 
protection. 
In order to promote equality in practice, the Community has implemented specific action 
programmes since the 1980s, which, though having limited budgetary resources, have had 
a substantial knock-on effect. These programmes funded positive actions and pilot 
projects which extended the Community's field of action to the reconciliation of family 
and working life, women's role in the decision-making process, the participation of 
women in economic life and employment, etc. The Community thus promoted the 
creation over the years of a complex series of networks of people playing an active role 
in equal opportunities policy at European level but at the same time representing the 
cultural diversity of the Member States. It also encouraged the work of organisations 
promoting equal opportunities, helping to identify good practices and, notwithstanding the 
conflicts between rival organisations for the promotion of women, fostered the 
development of possible approaches towards concerted actions to promote equal 
opportunities. 
The Community has also continued to further the cause of women and remove 
inequalities between men and women through its dialogue with non-member countries, 
in particular through its policies on development cooperation and the promotion and 
protection of human rights.1 Mainstreaming of gender issues has, in actual fact, been 
integrated in the Community's development cooperation policy for some years. 
On the strength of the acquis of Community law and the experience and legitimacy 
gained from the programmes and networks it supported, the Community has been able 
to participate actively in strengthening the role of women and promoting equal 
opportunities at international level. It played a decisive role in the preparations which 
enabled the United Nations Conferences in Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen and, just recently, 
Beijing to go ahead. The intense interest generated by the last Conference, which was put 
cf. the Commission Communication on integrating gender issues in development 
cooperation (COM(95) 423 final of 18 September 1995) and on the external 
dimension of human rights policy (COM(95) 567 final of 22 November 1995). 
into practical effect in the pledges made on the platform, calls for Community action to 
be continued. 
The Commission has also applied an equal opportunities policy to its staff for many 
years. 
Community action to promote equality between women and men appears overall to be 
both significant and modest. Significant, in view of the narrow legal basis which gives 
specific competence only in matters of equal pay (Article 119 of the Treaty), and 
therefore the obligation in the majority of cases to obtain the unanimity of the Member 
States on proposals which do not strictly belong to this field. Significant, too, in view of 
the results obtained despite the meagre financial resources allocated specifically to the 
promotion of equal opportunities. But decidedly modest with regard to the size of the 
problem and the expectations it generates, and in view of the resources which might have 
been allocated for a long time now if equal opportunities had been recognised as a 
horizontal priority objective of Community policies. Admittedly, a large number of 
Community activities contribute at least indirectly to equal opportunities for women by, 
for example, generally promoting monetary stability, economic growth, development of 
employment, free movement, etc. But the positive effects of these actions on the situation 
of women are often not very apparent and sometimes uncertain. 
The Essen, Cannes and Madrid European Councils stressed that promoting equal 
opportunities for women and men, together with combating unemployment, was one of 
the paramount tasks of the Union and its Member States. A determined effort must 
therefore be made to pursue and intensify the action already taken. The Commission 
intends to make an active contribution to the efforts required and to mobilise all 
Community policies towards this end It has proposed a new Equal Opportunities Action 
Programme (1996-2000),2 which should enable progress to be made in the field of 
legislation, the effective development of the principle of mainstreaming and the support 
and organisation of specific measures to promote equal opportunities. The Programme 
was prepared on the basis of a very extensive consultation procedure and this procedure 
will be continued through the work of the Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities, 
the composition and role of which have been modified for this purpose.3 The Council 
recently adopted the Decision establishing this programme, reducing, however, the budget 
allocated to it in the Commission's proposals* 
3. Mobilisation of all Community policies 
Action to promote equality requires an ambitious approach which presupposes the 
recognition of male and female identities and the willingness to establish a balanced 
distribution of responsibilities between men and women. It calls for the active 
cf. COM(95) 381 final of 19 July 1995. Fourth medium-term Community action 
programme on equal opportunities for women and men (1996-2000). 
Commission Decision of 19 July 1995, OJEC No L 249, 17 October 1995. 
Decision of 21 December 1995. 
involvement of women but also of men and the mutual recognition of their respective 
responsibilities. The promotion of equality must not be confused with the simple objective 
of balancing the statistics: it is a question of promoting long-lasting changes in parental 
roles, family structures, institutional practices, the organisation of work and time, etc. and 
does not merely concern women, their personal development and independence, but also 
concerns men and the whole of society, in which it can encourage progress and be a 
token of democracy and pluralism. This applies not only to Europe and industrialised 
countries but also to developing countries. 
The promotion of equality between women and men, therefore, does not simply require 
the implementation of positive measures targeted at women, e.g. to promote their access 
to education, training or employment. It also requires measures aimed at adapting the 
organisation of society to a fairer distribution of men's and women's roles: e.g. by 
adapting the organisation of work to help women as well as men reconcile family and 
working life; or by encouraging the development of a multitude of activities at local level 
to provide more flexible employment solutions, again for both men and women; or by 
guaranteeing the rights of fathers as much as those of mothers so that both can be 
expected to carry out their responsibilities and duties to the full; or by adapting social 
protection to incorporate the trend towards the individualisation of rights into collective 
responsibility, etc. 
The systematic consideration of the differences between the conditions, situations and 
needs of women and men in all Community policies and actions, this is the basic feature 
of the principle of "mainstreaming" which the Commission has adopted. This does not 
mean simply making Community programmes or resources more accessible to women, 
but rather the simultaneous mobilisation of legal instruments, financial resources and the 
Community's analytical and organisational capacities in order to introduce in all areas the 
desire to build balanced relationships between women and men. In this respect, it is 
necessary and important to base the policy of equality between women and men on a 
sound statistical analysis of the situation of women and men in the various areas of life 
and the changes taking place in societies. 
This global, horizontal approach requires mobilisation, which is why the Commission has 
set up, under the auspices of its President, a Group of Commissioners responsible for 
stimulating the debate and ensuring that the concern for equal opportunities for women 
and men is built into all Community activities. An inter-departmental group has been 
appointed to prepare and monitor this work, and this is now taking note of initiatives 
planned or in progress with a view to identifying possible synergies and cooperation 
between them. 
This Communication is the outcome of that analysis and is divided into two parts: 
the first part presents the Community acquis and prospects for future action in six 
areas: employment and the labour market, the status of women entrepreneurs and 
assisting spouses in SMEs, education and training, people's rights, external 
relations, information; added to these six areas is the Commission's personnel 
policy; 
the second part presents the role of the Structural Funds, which constitute the 
Community's main financial instrument, and which provide assistance in several 
of these areas. 
This analysis probably does not exhaust all the measures which the Community may take 
to contribute to equal opportunities. However, it gives an overall picture which calls for 
greater consistency and complementarity between the various Community measures and 
which provides evidence of the inter-departmental cooperation already under way. 
IL THE ACQUIS COMMUNAUTAIRE AND PROSPECTS FOR FUTURE 
ACTION IN THE FIELD OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 
1. Employment and the labour market 
Employment is one of the key areas for equal opportunities: access to employment is one 
of the basic elements necessary for equal opportunities for women, and job structure and 
conditions of work and pay are important indicators of progress - as yet insufficient - in 
the field of equal opportunities. 
In this respect, the situation has improved, at least for the well-qualified women of the 
younger generations who have had greater access to the higher and intermediate 
categories of the labour market, particularly in the public sector, teaching and health. This 
trend has accentuated the disparities within the female population. However, the 
predominant feature of the labour market is the continuing inequality and job segregation 
between men and women: the proportion of women employed in administration and 
services has increased; likewise, the majority of insecure and part-time jobs are filled by 
women, which is why most jobs created during the past few years have been taken up 
by women 
Women's rate of participation in the labour force has increased and, on average, two out 
of five jobs within the European Union are now occupied by women. Women's 
employment situation varies widely, however, from one Member State to another, in 
particular with regard to the rate of labour force participation, frequency of part-time 
work and the unemployment rate. 
The Community has been a prime mover in promoting equal employment opportunities, 
in particular by means of the directives enshrining the principle of equal pay and, to a 
large extent, equal treatment with regard to social security in European law. 
The action programmes for equal opportunities implemented since 1982 have promoted 
studies, experiments and discussions of the policies most likely to promote equality in the 
field of employment, in particular through the development of positive actions, the 
reconciliation of family and working life, the promotion of female entrepreneurship, and 
local development; they have thus encouraged the implementation of pilot projects and 
their development into transnational networks. 
The Structural Funds and, in particular, the European Social Fund have for a long time 
provided substantial financial support for measures promoting the training and 
employment of women. This contribution is dealt with in part III of this Communication 
In addition to its activities in the context of the Structural Funds, the Commission intends 
to continue the efforts undertaken in two areas. 
• Firstly, it is necessary to continue to construct the legal basis for equality, in 
particular by means of directives and/or agreements which might be concluded by 
the social partners on flexible working time, the burden of proof and initiatives 
relating to child care, home working, equal pay and the individualisation of social 
protection rights. It should be pointed out in this respect that an initial agreement 
has been concluded between the social partners under the social protocol on the 
reconciliation of family and working life. 
• The Commission intends to rationalise and integrate its aid more effectively for 
studies and pilot projects relating to women entrepreneurs, reconciliation of family 
and working life and desegregation of the labour market This is one of the 
objectives of the new Equal Opportunities Programme which has just been 
adopted. Generally speaking, as far as employment is concerned, this Programme 
is to be used as an instrument to exchange experience and encourage analysis and 
debate, in association with the Member States, and taking into account the 
discussions and measures on employment initiated after the Éssen, Cannes and 
Madrid European Councils. An intensification of efforts to promote equal 
opportunities in the field of employment is one of the guidelines agreed at 
Madrid, and issues relating to the organisation of work, active employment 
policies, new sources of employment, etc., which are the subject of these 
discussions and measures, are particularly relevant in this case. 
2. Women entrepreneurs and assisting spouses in SMEs 
Women play an important role in the administration and management of SMEs, firstly 
as entrepreneurs: of the 16 million SMEs in the Union (EUR 12), 20-30% are managed 
by women; in addition, 25-35% of new businesses are created by women. Secondly, they 
play a role as assisting spouses to the manager: in 60-80% of SMEs, the manager's 
spouse carries out administrative and management duties and he/she is, with or without 
official status, the manager's closest associate and may even be described as a genuine 
co-entrepreneur; it is generally acknowledged that the greater the assisting wife's role in 
the running of the company, the greater the chances of the company's survival. Moreover, 
in some sectors such as fisheries, the activities of each of the spouses are complementary; 
likewise in rural areas, where 10% of farm managers are women, farmers' wives are 
directly involved in the development of farm tourism and local services 
Women entrepreneurs and assisting spouses are faced with various difficulties and 
constraints: 
lack of business training at the time of creating the company and during 
its first years of existence, 
lack of recognition in economic circles, in particular with regard to 
accessibility of finance, and chronic lack of own capital, 
problems in reconciling family and working life; 
difficulty in obtaining access to sources of information; 
little or no recognition of the status of assisting spouse. 
The Commission's enterprise policy is aimed at all sectors and all entrepreneurs, men or 
women, and seeks in particular to foster an environment conducive to initiative and the 
development of enterprises, especially SMEs, to improve their financing and to promote 
their integration into the single market. 
There are specific measures to help women entrepreneurs and assisting spouses, though 
resources are limited. These include training initiatives, help in creating networks (e.g. 
help in creating a European association of assisting spouses), the funding of measures 
carried out by groups of women in the social economy field, etc. The Commission also 
provides financial and logistical support for the organisation of conferences dealing 
directly with the subject of women entrepreneurs and assisting spouses (Thessaloniki 
(March 1994), Paris (June 1995), Barcelona (November 1995)). There are also a number 
of measures included in the Structural Fund operations and, inter alia, in Community 
initiatives (LEADER, LEIs, NOW, ADAPT, SMEs) which may help women entrepreneurs 
and assisting spouses. 
There is also Directive 86/613 on equal treatment between men and women engaged in 
an activity in a self-employed capacity, which, however, has had little impact on account 
of the mildness of the obligations it imposed. 
It is intended to reinforce measures to help women in SMEs in the future, in particular 
by improving flexibility of work and occupational skills (including use of telematics), 
easier access to finance and improved access to information and advice. 
Continuing its support for the conferences on women entrepreneurs and assisting spouses, 
the Commission is currently defining the priority measures to be included in the 
multiannual action programme for SMEs (1997-2000). Several initiatives will also be 
taken to provide better awareness of and information on the situation of women 
entrepreneurs and co-entrepreneurs (which will be the subject of a special chapter in the 
European Observatory for SMEs' annual report) and that of assisting spouses (list of 
training measures) Inter-departmental cooperation will be reinforced to encourage 
awareness of the needs of women entrepreneurs and assisting spouses in training 
programmes (LEONARDO) and in Structural Fund initiatives. Likewise, cooperation with 
the Euro-info centres at the Commission's information offices will be intensified. Finally, 
with regard to the above-mentioned Directive 86/613, the Commission, after consulting 
the partners concerned, will propose an amended Directive to provide a better solution 
to the problems encountered. 
3. Education and Training 
Education and training are powerful springboards towards obtaining equal opportunities 
for women, even though they alone cannot guarantee occupational integration equivalent 
to that of men. Enhancing women's skills also enriches the pool of human resources, 
which is good for competitiveness and growth, and persistent unwillingness or opposition 
to the recognition of women's skills on the labour market and in the organisation of work 
and their contribution to development can be considered a waste of human resources. By 
paving the way towards a change in mentalities, education and training may also have a 
significant influence on social and professional relationships between women and men, 
making it possible for each to develop their respective roles, thus promoting the 
reconciliation of family and working life for both men and women. 
The situation of women as far as education and training are concerned has improved 
considerably, but substantial efforts must still be made to improve women's skill levels 
and to facilitate not only their access to employment but also their return to work after 
a break in their careers. Moreover, the persistence of social and cultural models or 
stereotypes inherited from the past has led to an insufficient diversification of the choice 
of school subjects and occupations made by women and also given them less access to 
decision-making posts Thus, in most cases, they abandon scientific and technical 
subjects, new technologies and management and give preference to traditionally female 
occupations (either through inclination, low self-esteem or inadequate information); 
sometimes these make it easier to reconcile family and working life, but render more 
difficult certain choices of career, access to decision-making posts or the status of 
entrepreneur, etc. In this context, education and training can contribute to equal 
opportunities by making those concerned aware of the importance of this diversification 
of choice, by supporting women who choose less popular career paths and those who 
need another chance or assistance to transform an unstable job into the first stage of an 
integration process and, more generally, by encouraging changes in attitudes and 
mentalities with regard to trades and occupations. 
One of the specific tasks will also be to enhance the value of occupations taken up 
predominantly by women, in this case the teaching profession, given its important role 
in determining the future capacity for adaptation to the labour market and dealing with 
the key issues facing society (the environment, for example). 
Community action in the field of vocational training comprises to a large extent 
substantial financial support from ESF operations, which provide funding for, inter alia, 
measures to help women. The NOW initiative has of course brought about a significant 
change in this area. 
Community action in the field of education has supported the development of 
transnational projects which have sought either to raise the awareness of or train all the 
players involved in education (teachers, pupils or students, parents, staff involved in 
education) or to develop suitable educational material on equal opportunities in order to 
help change mentalities at an early stage, prior to entry into the labour market 
In addition, the specific programmes in the field of higher education (ERASMUS, 
COMETT, LINGUA) and initial and continuing training (EUROTECNET, PETRA and 
FORCE) have also contributed to this objective, as has the training and mobility 
programme set up for researchers; however, in most cases the participation of women in 
these various programmes has simply reflected their participation in the labour market in 
general. 
The SOCRATES (education), LEONARDO (training) and Youth for Europe programmes, 
which were devised to consolidate and rationalise external measures in the field of 
exchanges and pilot projects, incorporate equal opportunities either as a specific objective 
(LEONARDO) or as a supplementary priority for inclusion in all programme measures 
(SOCRATES, Youth for Europe). The LEONARDO programme focuses particular 
attention on women returning to work after interrupting their careers and on fields of 
activity in which women are under-represented. It also incorporates activities relating to 
the vocational training of women carried out previously by the IRIS network. It also 
encourages project promoters to regard equal opportunities as an essential part of all 
training measures. 
In addition to these programmes, various education and training measures have been or 
are being funded, often only on a selective basis, under various budget headings and/or 
in the context of funding for research activities, aid for SMEs, etc. 
The concept of lifelong learning is the fundamental philosophy behind the new 
programmes and, more generally speaking, Community action in the fields of education 
and training This philosophy involves reinforcing cooperation and complementarity 
between programmes in the future (SOCRATES and LEONARDO) and between these 
programmes and the other Community measures incorporating an "education and training" 
aspect (Structural Funds: mainstream and the ADAPT and EMPLOYMENT initiatives, 
and in particular NOW; research). The monitoring and assessment of the programmes and 
the preparation of a White Paper on education and training will make a significant 
contribution in these two areas to the overall strategy proposed by the Commission under 
the new Equal Opportunities Programme. 
4. Rights of Persons 
Recognition of the principle that the fundamental rights of women and girls are an 
inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights was reaffirmed at the 
Beijing Conference. 
The Community has contributed to the substantial progress made in the field of 
recognition of rights, and the European model of equality comprises a unique collection 
of knowledge, laws, institutions and practices which have conferred formal rights on 
women and have promoted their standing in the European Union. Information concerning 
these rights must be widely disseminated. In addition, improvements could be envisaged 
in the following specific areas: 
• Measures aimed at curbing violence against women 
10 
With regard to measures aimed at curbing violence against women within and 
outside the European Union, the inclusion of the concept of "gender" in 
Community programmes should make k possible to improve and support measures 
such as: 
the organisation and financing of public awareness campaigns concerning 
the problems of violence against women, 
medical and psychological assistance and other types of care for women 
who are victims of violence; 
the development or creation of programmes aimed at providing training in 
this area for the legal and medical professions, social workers, teachers 
and the police. 
Women refugees 
Following on from the Resolution of the Justice and Internal Affairs Council of 
20 June 1995 on the minimum guarantees to be offered in asylum procedures 
within the Union, the Commission is now examining the possibility of introducing 
a series of measures aimed at resolving the particular problems encountered by 
women refugees. 
With regard to women refugees outside the Union, measures should be taken to 
ensure their safety and integrity as effectively as possible. They should also be 
involved in the planning, implementation and monitoring of projects and 
programmes designed to help them, in order that these may best take into account 
their specific needs. 
Measures against trafficking of persons 
With regard to measures against trafficking of persons, the inclusion of the 
concept of "gender" should make it possible to: 
• formulate laws to prevent "sexual tourism" and the trafficking of persons, 
in particular the trafficking of women in prostitution networks; 
• the adoption of appropriate measures in order to develop programmes 
aimed at reintegrating victims of such trafficking into society (legal aid, 
care, cooperation with NGOs, training with a view to reintegration). 
The Commission took the initiative of organising a seminar and a conference on 
the measures which might be taken within the Union in order to work out an 
overall approach which would protect the victims of such trafficking (temporary 
or permanent residence permit, social and legal assistance, etc ) and tighten up 
measures against traffickers. Related questions, such as the status of certain 
categories of women particularly vulnerable to abuse or exploitation of a sexual 
or other nature, e.g. immigrant women with a work permit which does not allow 
them to change employer (case of temporary domestic staff), might also be dealt 
with. 
11 
• Other related questions 
The manner in which mentalities and lifestyles have evolved has led to the 
diversification of family structures and histories and has increased the risk of 
conflict over custody of children. The difficult situations which result from this 
are often rendered all the more dramatic and traumatic by the fact that in this area 
of law there is no legal system covering questions of competence, recognition and 
execution of judgments in the field of family law. It is therefore proposed to 
extend the scope of the Brussels Convention to family matters or to draw up a 
new convention on this subject. 
A number of problems specifically affecting non-member country nationals, in 
particular immigrant women resident in the Community, might also be dealt with: 
such problems include, for example, the free movement for a short stay of non-
member country nationals lawfully resident in another Member State, on the 
subject of which the Commission has just presented a draft Directive to the 
Council (COM(95) 346 final of 12 July 1995) 
The members of the family of a citizen of the Union who are non-member 
country nationals - normally the wife and children - obtain a secondary residence 
permit on reunification of the family, which means that in the event of divorce or 
repudiation, their right of residence ceases at the same time. For this reason, a 
right of residence of their own, following a reasonable period of residence, would 
seem to offer legal security and, where necessary, help them live independently 
of the person with whom they were united. 
5. External Relations 
The Commission made an active contribution to the World Conferences on the 
Environment (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), Human Rights (Vienna, 1993), Population (Cairo, 
1994), Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995) and Women (Beijing, 1995), the 
conclusions of which concern, in various respects, the promotion of women, consolidation 
of the means of action open to them and their autonomy. 
The World Conference on Women held in Beijing highlighted the scale of the efforts 
required to promote equal opportunities. It emphasised the diversity of women's situation 
in the different countries, in particular the continued existence in a large part of the world 
of major obstacles to full economic, political and social rights for women in fields such 
as human rights, education and health, decision-making and access to economic resources. 
Moreover, it reaffirmed what had been established at Rio de Janeiro, Cairo and 
Copenhagen concerning the essential contribution made by women to the lasting 
economic and social development of society. 
Considerable differences exist between men and women, particularly in developing 
countries, with regard to their roles, responsibilities, constraints, advantages and priorities, 
in both the economic and social fields Development programmes and policies which do 
not take these "gender issues" into account are not likely to result in real benefits for 
women and may even place them at a disadvantage. In order to acliieve real progress for 
12 
women, gender issues must be taken into account systematically and are the key to 
obtaining lasting development for the whole of society. These are the factors underlying 
the principle of "gender mainstreaming", which has for several years now been an integral 
part of the Community's development policies and its development cooperation 
conventions and agreements with the ACP countries, Asia, Latin America and the 
Mediterranean Basin. This experience has enabled the Community to develop a range of 
internal instruments and measures specific to this field 
In accordance with this policy, the Community is keen to ensure that its development 
cooperation projects and programmes focus particular attention, right from the planning 
stage, on the specific needs and priorities of women and men, while ensuring an equal 
level of participation. 
At the same time, the Community is supporting large-scale positive action programmes 
with a view to eliminating the major disparities between women and men in developing 
countries, particularly in the fields of health and education. 
In addition, specific programmes such as the Democracy and LINK programmes in the 
context of Phare and Tacis make it possible to support initiatives of NGOs which affect 
women more directly. 
In the future, it is intended to intensify this mainstreaming of the consideration of gender 
issues in all development cooperation activities in the ACP countries, Asia, Latin America 
and the Mediterranean Basin, by applying the strategies set out in the recent 
communication on integrating gender issues in development cooperation. 
6. Information/Awareness 
Putting the principle of equal opportunities into practice requires the introduction of a 
communication strategy comprising awareness-raising activities for the general public and 
information activities relating to specific programmes, which must be targeted at those 
concerned by the programmes in question (e.g. assisting spouses, women farmers, women 
entrepreneurs, etc.). 
Awareness-raising activities should help to challenge certain discriminatory prejudices and 
stereotypes They must be directed at both men and women, and particular attention might 
be focused on young people, for whom information and awareness-raising activities 
would consolidate or supplement educational measures. These activities must also be 
adapted to the cultural context of each Member State. 
Up to now, the Commission's communication policies in the field of equal opportunities 
have been aimed principally at specific sections of the public This is the case, for 
example, of some of the publications, symposia and networks funded by DG V (women 
in the decision-making process, women and the media, etc.), the workshop organised by 
DG XII on women in scientific and technical research, DG XXHI's activities to help 
women entrepreneurs or assisting spouses, etc. In some cases, the activity has been aimed 
at all women (DG X*s "Women of Europe newsletter") or at «ill those involved, e.g. 
13 
DG XXII's awareness-raising activities in the field of equal opportunities in education and 
training. 
This list of measures highlights the increasing number of initiatives taken to promote 
equal opportunities in the Commission's activities, but also the need for improved 
coordination between the departments concerned in order to establish a consistent, 
systematic and visible communication policy, adapted to the various target audiences. 
A communication plan in the field of equal opportunities must therefore be developed 
with all the parties involved and a detailed inventory of all communication operations 
carried out by the various departments must be drawn up for this purpose. 
Under the communication plan, an overall approach to information on equal opportunities 
as well as sector-by-sector implementation (employment, education/training, Structural 
Funds, cooperation/development, etc.) will be proposed, backed up by a proposal for an 
equal opportunities information programme. 
The dimension of "equality between women and men" will have to be incorporated into 
all communication instruments used to convey the Commission's information policy 
(definition of target publics, selection of subjects and form of publications, including 
illustrations, use of opinion analysis tools, etc.). 
The "quality" of information will have to be improved and will take into account the 
diversity of cultures and audiences. Communication on the subject of equality will have 
to be extended beyond work and the social field to all aspects of life and to sectors in 
which women have a particular interest: the new information technologies, 
biotechnologies, consumer protection and the environment, to name but a few. In the field 
of the environment, given women's sensitivity to improvements in the quality of life, 
changes in consumption patterns, etc., their opinions are listened to and they already 
receive assistance from DG XI via organisations and NGOs in which they are widely 
represented. 
Equal opportunities is one of the subjects which will be developed under the "Citizens 
First" initiative This initiative is one of the three main priority actions in the field of 
information adopted by the Commission over the next two years. 
An event targeted at the general public and held on "Women's Day" on 8 March, such 
as the organisation of a "European Women's Day" on a topical subject, should raise 
awareness of this issue In addition, events and meetings covered by the media on 
subjects relating to Community policies, programmes and activities should systematically 
take into account the need to address both men and women and the specific issues which 
concern them respectively. 
Inter-institutional cooperation on the subject of equal opportunities could be encouraged 
by strengthening cooperation between the departments responsible for information within 
the Commission and the European Parliament. This cooperation might also be extended 
to other Community institutions. 
14 
7. The Commission's personnel policy 
The Commission has applied an equal opportunities policy to its staff for many years. 
The positive action programmes have been the main instrument through which this policy 
has been implemented, and the second of these, covering the period 1992-1996, is 
currently in force. This programme seeks to obtain an equal number of women in 
categories and functions in which they are under-represented and to promote their 
professional development by guaranteeing them equal opportunities for career 
advancement and training. The positive action programme also aims to guarantee 
accompanying measures and social infrastructure to enable everyone, both men and 
women, to reconcile their family and professional obligations. 
This means that equal opportunities policy is automatically incorporated into all areas of 
personnel management: recruitment, careers, the planning and allocation of resources, 
social policy, the rights and obligations of officials Furthermore, there is a special equal 
opportunities unit within the Directorate for Personnel and Administration, whose task is 
to coordinate the implementation of equal opportunities plans drawn up by each 
Directorate-General within the general framework of the positive action programme, and 
to make all staff aware of equal opportunities. 
While equal opportunities has been recognised as a horizontal priority objective of 
Community policy, the Institution must ensure that women have a greater role to play at 
all stages of the planning, negotiation and decision of policies within the various 
Directorate-Generals. For this purpose, the Commission has stressed the importance of 
female recruitment in its recruitment policy, both with regard to recruitment at the starting 
grades and with a view to appointing more women to management posts in the future. 
As far as starting grades in Category A are concerned, the annual organisation of general 
competitions for Assistant Administrators (A8) attracted almost as many female applicants 
as male and the success rate of women, which has also improved in recent years, made 
it possible for the percentage of women recruited at this grade to rise to 27% 
Accordingly, and in the context of positive actions, the Commission adopted guidelines 
for the recruitment and appointment of women in 1995, when the three new Member 
States joined the Union. This strategy, if repeated annually, should bring about a real 
restoration of the balance in the years to come. 
ffl. STRUCTURAL FUND OPERATIONS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 
Structural policies constitute the main Community instrument used to correct regional 
imbalances and to improve employment and integration prospects. The ratio of inequality 
in the field of employment between economically integrated regions and regions 
experiencing problems is 1:10.5 Regions experiencing problems are those whose 
development is lagging behind, areas of industrial redevelopment and disadvantaged urban 
The regional unemployment rates vary from 3.4% to 34 7% 
15 
areas, rural areas, etc. The medium-term trend in the distribution of people and activities 
within the Community also gives cause for concern. There is a need for corrective 
measures to curb the trend towards increasing urbanisation and the congestion of some 
regipns, while interior or peripheral regions are abandoned. The situation of women is 
worsened in such a precarious environment 
Increasing the contribution of the Structural Funds (European Regional Development 
Fund, European Social Fund and European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund) 
to the promotion of equal opportunities is therefore of great political significance. The 
incorporation of equality into structural policies is, firstly, a response to the need to 
reduce the inequalities which exist between men and women with regard to the rate of 
employment, the level of training, access to the labour market and involvement in the 
decision-making process. But it is also part of a desire to promote lasting development, 
by combining job and wealth creation with quality of life and preservation of the cultural 
and natural heritage. 
Observance of the principle of equal opportunities was introduced into the Regulations 
governing the Structural Funds in 1993. On 22 June 1994, the Council adopted a 
resolution on the promotion of equal opportunities for women and men through action by 
the Structural Funds. However, Structural Fund operations are still relatively modest, and 
efforts to mobilise the partners and, above all, the national and/or regional authorities 
responsible for devising and implementing the programming must be continued and 
intensified. 
1. The 1989-1993 programming period 
During the 1989-1993 programming period, the ESF was the instrument most directly 
involved in promoting equal opportunities. Actions implemented as part of general 
measures to train and help young people and the long-term unemployed find employment 
made it possible in particular to improve the situation of women with regard to 
employment. It should be noted that 5% of ESF appropriations under Objectives 3 and 
4 (i.e. ECU 380 million) were earmarked specifically for operations to help women. The 
other Funds (ERDF, EAGGF) have contributed in an indirect and less concentrated 
manner to the promotion of equality, firstly by their general support for development and, 
secondly, where appropriate, by funding training infrastructures or complementary social 
facilities. 
From 1991 onwards, the segregation of the labour market and social marginalisation, of 
which the main victims were women, led the Commission to launch a specific initiative -
NOW (New Opportunities for Women) - with a budget of ECU 156 million. This 
instrument made it possible to improve vocational training and encouraged business 
creation by granting direct aid. Of the numerous projects assisted under the NOW 
initiative (1991-1994), some 300 involved the creation of small businesses and 
cooperatives. Some projects raise women's awareness, bring them into contact and make 
them more receptive to an offer of training By way of illustration, the establishment of 
a "Reception-training-social" centre in a very deprived area of Oporto, fitted out - with 
ERDF assistance - with the modern household equipment lacking in the area, made it 
16 
possible to satisfy the local community's everyday needs, while at the same time 
encouraging practical training, itself funded by the ESF. 
The main achievement of the NOW initiative has been to decompartmentalise assistance 
by mobilising a wide range of operators. The innovative measures taken under this 
initiative and its transnational nature, thanks to the setting up of networks for the 
dissemination of experience, enabled promoters to have new programmes, methodologies 
and infrastructures which could be used on a large scale. In the light of its success in 
opening up new approaches towards greater consideration of women in all the Structural 
Funds, the NOW initiative has been renewed and consolidated (ECU 360 million for the 
period 1994-1999). 
A number of good practices have also been observed under Community initiatives such 
as LEADER, INTERREG or pilot projects financed under innovative measures supported 
by the Funds. These are specific examples of coordination between promotion of the 
principle of equality and the overall development strategy. 
, — -~~j 
The LEADER I initiative (1989-1993) encouraged the economic diversification of 
rural areas by supporting new activities organised by women, for example: 
in Greece a project was aimed at modernising the productive base by 
organising and supporting domestic industry. A women's association organised 
various exhibition sites and managed a centre for domestic industry and handicrafts. 
The project, which was launched in 1990, enabled women in the region to be given 
continuing training in the manufacture of local quality products and craft objects. 
in the United Kingdom, target groups (20 young unemployed people, 10 
managers made redundant and some 15 women wishing to start up a business at 
home) benefited from start-up aid through the financing of feasibility studies, 
marketing and promotion costs, further training courses and training in local 
services. 
Under the multi-fund transborder cooperation programme (Community initiative 
INTERREG I) between France and Spain, some 30 women with an average age of 
38 from a region affected by a high rate of unemployment because of the decline in 
the textile industry were helped in their career plans (creation of activity or search 
for a job) through training measures, training courses in the neighbouring country 
and the setting up of partnerships for complementary projects. 
17 
The ERDF pilot projects (Article 10) also supported measures aimed at improving 
back-up structures for women which would facilitate their occupational or social 
reintegration. The issue looked at in most detail was the improvement of the quality 
of life. 
For example, in the United Kingdom, under a scheme to regenerate inner-city areas 
a multipurpose community centre providing the equipment necessary for the 
regeneration programme was funded. The centre includes a family department 
offering a full range of services, including an original type of crèche which enables 
the occupational reintegration of the very large number of young mothers. 
2. The 1994-1999 programming period 
During the present programming period (1994-1999), the promotion of equal opportunities 
is a priority running through all the activities receiving Structural Fund assistance, with 
a determined effort being made to obtain greater coordination. 
The promotion of equal opportunities is referred to in all ESF programming documents, 
especially those of Objective 3, as a priority which should apply across the board to all 
general measures to be supported. In a number of Member States, these programming 
documents also refer to a specific set of actions aimed at promoting equal opportunities 
(within Objective 3 or within the human resources component of Objective 1) and are 
intended to complement the horizontal approach adopted. 
The introduction of the concept of pathways to integration as a result of the experience 
gained under the NOW initiative, and the relaxation of the criteria for programme 
eligibility, have made it possible to formulate "packages" of personalised measures aimed 
at integration or reintegration into the labour market. Thus, in the field of education and 
training, the ERDF and the Social Fund may provide coordinated and complementary 
assistance, the ERDF financing the equipment and installations and the Social Fund the 
operating costs. 
Combined operations by the ESF, ERDF and EAGGF also help in carrying out measures 
and providing facilities which make it possible for women to reconcile their working and 
family life better (crèches, kindergartens, after-school activities, adaptation of transport 
in sparsely-populated areas, etc.). Measures which are directly linked to the provision of 
infrastructure for business areas and the creation or maintaining of jobs may be of direct 
benefit to women entrepreneurs and assisting spouses, as well as to the female employees 
of the enterprises supported. Generally speaking, operations relating to the adaptation of 
production activities, local development and improvement of the quality of life do not 
concern solely women but may have a more direct impact on promoting equality on 
account of their proximity effects. 
The Community initiatives (such as ADAPT, URBAN I, LEADER II, INTERREG II) 
also reflect the political impetus given to equal opportunities. 
18 
Thus, in a French town, the ideas generated by the URBAN initiative about care 
facilities for young children led to the creation of a centre intended not only to cater 
for children but above all to help parents play their full part in bringing up children 
in an unstructured environment. In the future, European funding will enable one-
parent families on a very low income to have access to jobs by creating care 
facilities adapted to vocational training opportunities (day-care centres with extended 
hours, more family creches, etc.). 
As in other fields, the Community added value is generated by bringing the various 
project sponsors together. The networks which initiatives such as NOW or LEADER6 
have at their disposal constitute a prime means of exchanging practices and transferring 
experiences and methodologies. 
Through the support given to these various measures and the strengthening of Community 
initiatives, the Funds facilitate the identification and dissemination of good practices and 
help to boost cooperation and integration under the new Equal Opportunities Programme 
(1996-2000). 
3. Outlook 
Of the proposals aimed at making sure that greater account is taken of equal 
opportunities, it is planned first of all to take advantage of the current programming, 
which means in particular that the monitoring committees will have to be alerted, in 
conjunction with evaluation measures. 
Thought will have to be given to the indicators and ways of measuring the extent to 
which the principle of equal opportunities will be taken into account in the programming. 
Basic indicators will have to be established for certain types of measures with positive 
connotations for equal opportunities in order to be able subsequently to define pertinent 
project selection criteria for the programme monitoring committees. To this end, a 
horizontal evaluation study will be able to shed light on the way in which this aspect is 
really applied by the Structural Funds. 
The production of basic regional statistics (availability of social infrastructure, breakdown 
of long-term unemployed by sex, female activity rates, proportion of women by socio-
profession al category, etc.) is also an essential prerequisite for measuring trends. 
Methodological guidelines will be drawn up for the monitoring committees by several 
Commission departments working together. 
LEADER II (94/C 180/12): "The present network must also expand its activities, in particular by 
establishing a methodological instrument, the European Observatory of Rural Innovation and 
Development, whose role will be to identify, specify, validate and facilitate the transfer of innovations 
implemented in rural environments." 
19 
m 
The efforts to achieve synergies in the current programming period imply greater 
coordination of multi-fund operations for the launching, financing and exploitation of the 
results of pilot projects linked directly to the promotion of equal opportunities (Article 
10 ERDF, Article 6 ESF, Article 8 EAGGF-Guidance). In this connection, special 
attention will be paid to measures to assist women wishing to set up their own business, 
along the lines of the awareness-raising operations already carried out for the European 
business and innovation centres and the Euroleader programme. 
Flexible programming affords scope for redirecting the multiannual programmes already 
adopted (1994-1999 for Objective 1 and Objective 5b, 1995-1999 for Objective 6, 1994-
1996 for Objective 2). This flexibility must be used to strengthen measures which are 
recognised as being effective and to explore new avenues of assistance. When the reserve 
for Community initiatives was allocated on 4 October 1995, the Commission decided in 
principle to place particular emphasis on equal opportunities in URBAN II and to give 
a boost of ECU 100 million to the NOW initiative. 
Generally speaking, the Structural Funds may make an effective contribution towards 
implementing the Union's and its Member States' priorities of combating unemployment 
and promoting equal opportunities for women and men. In this context and in accordance 
with the guidelines agreed by the European Council, they may in particular encourage the 
search for more employment-intensive growth and the optimum use of human resources. 
In order to alleviate some of the constraints which primarily affect women, the Structural 
Funds can be used as a matter of priority for the development of infrastructures and 
services for the care of dependants or for investment by enterprises to assist, through new 
organisation of work, the creation of jobs and reconciliation with family life. 
The Funds also have to contribute to the economic and social integration of urban and 
rural populations that are becoming marginalised. Combating the rapid marginalisation 
of women who are disadvantaged and/or live in sensitive areas requires a concerted effort 
to reconstitute social links: for example, through the creation of social centres (multi­
purpose halls for sport, entertainment, distance learning, etc.) or the financing of teaching 
tools and business-creation support services. 
These guidelines complement those relating to the promotion of new sources of 
employment, the adaptation of the organisation of work and skills and support for 
regional development and local initiatives. 
A European seminar aimed at promoting equal opportunities in Structural Fund assistance 
will be held in Brussels on 7 and 8 March 1996, in particular to mobilise the national and 
regional authorities responsible for implementing the programmes and to derive maximum 
benefit from the efforts made. Other events are also planned, such as the organisation of 
exhibitions and conferences on innovation and local development for women as part of 
the Luleâ (Sweden) Europartnership in June 1996. Lastly, promotional booklets 
illustrating and encouraging good practices will be produced. 
20 
IV. CONCLUSION 
This Communication is one stage in a process that must be continued in order to give 
more concrete expression to the principle of mainstreaming than in the past. In fact, 
assessing the ways in which equality between women and men has been taken into 
account up to now in Community policies gives rise to a series of guidelines and 
proposals which must now be implemented. 
Without doubt, there is still a lot to be done to ensure that promotion of equality between 
women and men actually becomes a strategic objective fully integrated into all 
Community policies and that the male/female dimension is taken into consideration in the 
planning and implementation of those policies (gender perspective). It is quite clear above 
all that the progressive implementation of these guidelines calls for a significant increase 
in cooperation within the Commission's departments and strengthening of the partnership 
with the Member States and the various players and organisations concerned. 
The very fact that this Communication has been produced, at the instigation of the Group 
of Commissioners on Equal Opportunities, is evidence of the efforts that have been made 
within the Commission. Such efforts reflect a political commitment and a desire to give 
a significant impetus to Community action, thereby supporting the efforts undertaken at 
all levels to promote equality between women and men. 
Various measures and initiatives should in the next few months give practical effect to 
the cooperative efforts undertaken. 1996 will see the implementation of initiatives as a 
follow-up to the Beijing Conference. It will also be the year of introduction of the new 
equal opportunities programme recently adopted by the Council, the official launch of 
which will give rise to a major conference in autumn 1996. Structural Fund assistance 
should also be confirmed, and the European Seminar to be held on 7 and 8 March 1996 
will provide a forum for discussion with the Member States and the other players 
involved. Cooperation with the social partners will continue and attention should be 
drawn in this connection to the fact that they have just reached an initial collective 
agreement under the Protocol on Social Policy on reconciling family and working life. 
1996 should lead to substantial progress in implementing the principle of mainstreaming 
in all Community policies, in particular in each of the fields dealt with in the second part 
of this Communication. For this purpose, it will be necessary to take measures to 
continuously monitor and evaluate the action undertaken. The inter-departmental group 
on equal opportunities is to contribute to this, relying, where necessary, on appropriate 
expert reports. It will be necessary to scrutinize policies more carefully from the point of 
view of equality and, therefore, in order to manage, identify and evaluate their effects, 
to establish suitable analytical indicators and procedures. Such a systematic evaluation 
will make it possible to confirm that consideration of equality between women and men 
in the proposed measures and, by extension, in all Community policies is being 
practically and effectively implemented. This will be the subject of one of the chapters 
of the Report on equal opportunities which the Commission now intends to publish each 
year and which will present the policies and measures implemented in the Member States 
as well as action taken at Community level. 
21 

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