Proposal for a Council Decision on the Programme relating to the Community framework strategy
on gender equality (2001-2005)
(2000/C 337 E/31)
(Text with EEA relevance)
COM(2000) 335 final /C151 2000/0143(CNS)
(Submitted by the Commission on 7 July 2000)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard tothe Treaty establishing the Euro pean
Community, and in particular Article 13 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee,
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,Whereas:
(1) The principle of equal treatment for women and men is a
fundamental principle of Community law and theDirectives and other acts adopted in keeping with ithave played a major part in improving the situation ofwomen.
(2) Experience of action at Community level has shown that
promoting gender equality in practice calls for a combi-nation of measures and, in particular, of legislation andpractical action designed to reinforce each other.
(3) The persistence of gender inequality justifies the
continuation and strengthening of Community action inthe field.
(4) The European Parliament, in its resolution on the interim
report on the implementation of the medium-termCommunity action programme on equal opportunitiesfor men and women (1996-2000)(
1), has called on the
Commission to submit a proposal for a fifth actionprogramme.
(5) The Council, in its conclusions of 22 October 1999 has
stressed the importance of a new action programme topromote equality for women and men.
(6) The new Community strategy for gender equality(
2)i s
embodied in a framework strategy that embraces allCommunity policies in its efforts to achieving genderequality and in this Programme, that will provide thestructure for the horizontal and coordinating activitiesnecessary toensure co herence and todevelo p synergieswith regard tothe gender-related activities o f allCommunity policies.
(7) In order to reinforce the added value of Community
action, the Commission, in cooperation with theMember States, should ensure, at all levels, thecoherence and complementarity of actions implemented
in the framework of this Decision and other relevantCommunity policies, instruments and actions, inparticular those under Articles 125 to 130 of the Treatyconcerning a coordinated strategy for employment, andunder the European Social Fund.
(8) It is necessary for the success of any Community action
for the results to be monitored and evaluated against theaims.
(9) In accordance with Article 2 of Council Decision
1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down theprocedures for the exercise of implementing powersconferred on the Commission (
3); measures for the
implementation of this Decision should be adopted byuse of the advisory procedure provided for in Article 3of that Decision.
(10) Provision should be made to open up this Programme to
the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe, inaccordance with the conditions established in the EuropeAgreements, in their additional protocols and in thedecisions of the respective Association Councils, toCyprus, Malta and Turkey, funded by additional appro-priations in accordance with the procedures to beagreed with those countries.
(11) In accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and
proportionality as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty, theobjective of the proposed action by the Community,
namely to promote gender equality, cannot be sufficiently
achieved by the Member States by reason of, inter alia, the
need for multilateral partnerships, transnational exchangeof information and Community-wide dissemination ofgood practice, and can therefore, by reason of the scaleand effects of the action, be better achieved by theCommunity. This Decision confines itself to theminimum required in order to achieve that objectiveand does not go beyond what is necessary for thatpurpose,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
Establishment of a Programme
This Decision establishes a Programme to promote gender
equality, hereinafter referred to as wQkx-the ProgrammewQkx4, for theperiod from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2005.EN C 337E/196 OfficialJournal of theEuropean Communities 28.11.2000
(1) A4-0194/99-PE 230041/DEF, OJ C 279, 1.10.1999, p. 88.
(2) COM(2000) 335 final. (3) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.
Article 2
Principles
1. The Programme is related to the Community’s overall
strategy on gender equality, which embraces all Communitypolicies geared to achieving gender equality, including gendermainstreaming policies and specific actions targeted at women.
2. The Programme shall coordinate, support and finance
horizontal and coordinating activities under the fields of inter-vention of the Community strategy on gender equality. Theseare economic life, equal participation and representation, socialrights, civil life, gender roles and stereotypes. Gender equalityin the enlargement of the Community as well as the genderdimension of the Community’s external relations and devel-opment cooperation policies are horizontal issues which willpermeate all areas of intervention of the framework strategy.
Article 3
Objectives
The Programme shall have the following objectives:
(a) To promote and disseminate the values and practices
underlying gender equality;
(b) To improve the understanding of issues related to direct and
indirect gender discrimination by determining where it
exists and towhat extent and by evaluating the effectivenessof policies and practice;
(c) To develop the capacity of key players (independent bodies
responsible for the promotion of gender equality, socialpartners and non-governmental organisations, especially atnational, regional and local levels) to promote genderequality effectively, in particular through support for the
exchange of information and good practice and networking
at Community level.
Article 4
Community actions
1. With a view to achieving the objectives set out in Article
3, the following actions will be implemented within a trans-
national framework:
(a) Awareness-raising
Primarily by emphasising the Community dimension of the
promotion of gender equality and by publicising the resultsof the Programme, in particular through publications,campaigns and events.(b) Analysis and evaluation
Analysis of factors and policies relating to gender equality,
including the collection of statistics, studies, gender impactassessment, tools and mechanisms, development ofindicators and benchmarks and effective dissemination ofresults. This will also include monitoring of the implemen-tation and application of Community equality law byevaluating legislation and practice in order to assess theirimpact and effectiveness.
(c) Capacity building
Transnational cooperation between key players through the
promotion of networking and exchange of experiences atCommunity level between national authorities, socialpartners and non-governmental organisations.
2. Arrangements for the implementation of the actions
described in paragraph 1 are set out in the Annex.
Article 5
Implementation of the Programme and cooperation with
Member States
1. The Commission shall:
(a) ensure the implementation of the Community actions
covered by this Programme in accordance with the Annex;
(b) regularly exchange views with the Members of the
Committee referred to in Article 6, with representativesof social partners at Community level and non-govern-mental organisations on the implementation andfollow-up of the Programme and on related policy orien-tations.
(c) promote active partnership and dialogue between all the
partners involved in the Programme, inter alia to
encourage an integrated and coordinated approach topromote gender equality.
2. The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States,
shall take the necessary steps to:
(a) promote the involvement in the Programme of all the
parties concerned;
(b) ensure the dissemination of the results of the actions
undertaken within this Programme;
(c) provide appropriate information, publicity and follow-up
with regard to actions supported by this Programme.EN 28.11.2000 OfficialJournal of theEuropean Communities C 337E/197
Article 6
Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee
composed of representatives of the Member States andchaired by the representative of the Commission (hereinafterreferred toas wQkx-the Co mmitteewQkx4).
2. Where reference is made tothis paragraph, the adviso ry
procedure laid down in Article 3 of Decision 1999/468/ECshall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 7 thereof.
3. The representative of the Commission shall in particular
consult the Committee on:
(a) the general guidelines for the implementation of the
Programme;
(b) the annual budgets and the distribution of funding between
measures;
(c) the annual plan of work for the implementation of the
Programme’s actions.
4. The representative of the Commission shall also consult
the Committee on other appropriate matters concerning theimplementation of this Programme.
5. To ensure the consistency and complementarity of this
Programme with other measures referred to in Article 7, theCommission shall keep the Committee regularly informedabout other Community action contributing to promotegender equality. Where appropriate, the Commission shallestablish regular and structured cooperation between thisCommittee and the monitoring committees established forother relevant policies, instruments and actions.
Article 7
Consistency and complementarity
1. The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member
States, ensure overall consistency with other Union andCommunity policies, instruments and actions, in particular byestablishing appropriate mechanisms to coordinate theactivities of this Programme with relevant activities inparticular relating toresearch, emplo yment, no n-discrimi-nation, social inclusion, education, training and youth policy,justice and home affairs and in the field of enlargement and of
the Community’s external relations.
2. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure
consistency and complementarity between action undertakenunder this Programme and other relevant Union and
Community actions, in particular under the Structural Funds,
the Community Initiative EQUAL and the Community actionprogramme to combat discrimination (2001-2006).3. The Member States shall make all possible efforts to
ensure consistency and complementarity between activitiesunder this Programme and those carried out at national,regional and local levels.
Article 8
Participation of EFTA/EEA countries, the associated
countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus, Malta
and Turkey
This Programme shall be open to the participation of:
(a) the EFTA/EEA countries in accordance with the conditions
established in the EEA Agreement;
(b) the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe
(CEECs) in accordance with the conditions established in
the European Agreements, in their additional protocols
and in the decisions of the respective Association Councils;
(c) Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, funded by additional appro-
priations in accordance with procedures to be agreedwith those countries.
Article 9
Monitoring and evaluation
1. The Commission shall regularly monitor this Programme
in cooperation with the committee referred to in Article 6.
2. The Programme shall be evaluated by the Commission at
its mid-term and at the end of the Programme with theassistance of independent experts. The evaluation will assessthe relevance and effectiveness of actions implemented withregard tothe o bjectives referred toin Article 2. It will alsoexamine the impact of the Programme as a whole. Theevaluation will also examine the complementarity betweenaction under this Programme and that pursued under otherrelevant Community policies, instruments and actions.
3. The Commission shall submit an interim evaluation
report by 31 December 2003 at the latest to the EuropeanParliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committeeand the Committee of Regions.
4. The Commission shall submit a final evaluation report on
the Framework Strategy and the Programme to the EuropeanParliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committeeand the Committee of the Regions by 31 December 2006 atthe latest.
Article 10
Addressees
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.EN C 337E/198 OfficialJournal of theEuropean Communities 28.11.2000
ANNEX
I.AREAS OF ACTION
The Programme may operate in one or more of the following fields of intervention:
1.Economic life
The area relates tothe remaining gender gaps in the labo ur market and the ways totackle them. The aims are to
increase the employment rate of women, to reduce the unemployment rates among women, the gender segre-
gation of the labour market and the gender pay gap.
2.Equal participation and representation
The area addresses the lack of women’s participation in decision-making bodies. The actions deal with strategies
to promote women in political, economic and social decision-making, including activities in external relations and
development cooperation.
3.Social rights
Effective gender mainstreaming needs to be applied to all policy areas which have an impact on women’s daily
life such as transport, public health and the fight against discrimination on other grounds. The actions will aim atimproving the application of Community legislation, in particular on social protection and in the areas of
parental leave, maternity protection and working time.
4.Civil life
The area addresses the enforcement of the human rights of women. The actions will promote the recognition of
human rights of women, enforce equal opportunity rights and strengthen the fight against gender-related violenceand trafficking in women.
5.Gender roles and stereotypes
The area addresses the stereotyped images of women and men and the need to change behaviour, attitudes,
norms and values which define and influence gender roles in the society. The actions cover gender main-streaming, in particular in education, training, culture, science, media and sport policies.
II.TYPES OF ACTION
The following measures may be supported by the Programme, in a transnational framework:
Strand 1 /C151 Awareness raising
1. The organisation of conferences, seminars and events at European level;
2. The organisation of a European Equality week at Community level and in each Member State at the same time
under the same topic coordinated by the Commission and conducted by the responsible authority in eachindividual Member State;
3. The organisation of European media campaigns and events to support the transnational exchange of information
and the identification and dissemination of good practice, including the award of an annual prize to companiessuccessful in promoting gender equality and with a view to strengthen the visibility of gender issues;
4. The publication of materials to disseminate the results of the Programme, including the construction of an
Internet site providing examples of good practice, a forum for the exchange of ideas and a database ofpotential partners for transnational exchange actions as well as e-links to the existing relevant websites in theMember States;
5. The implementation of transnational initiatives such as meetings, seminars, campaigns, etc., on particular topics
approved annually, after discussion with the Committee of the Programme. The aim of these activities is tosupport and improve the synergy among national policies on gender equality and to develop a Community added
value;
6. Organisation of seminars in support of the implementation of Community law in the field of gender equality.EN 28.11.2000 OfficialJournal of theEuropean Communities C 337E/199
Strand 2 /C151 Analysis and evaluation
1. The development and dissemination of comparable statistics, broken down by sex, statistical series on women and
men’s situation in different policy areas;
2. The development and dissemination of methodologies and indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of gender
equality policies and practice (benchmarking);
3. The analysis of women’s situation in the labour market, implementation of equality legislation in the Member
States, influence and impact of social protection and taxation on women and mens and advancement of women
in decision-making levels will be carried out and the results and lessons learned will be disseminated;
4. The collection and evaluation of updated information and experience on successful initiatives, methods and
techniques related with women and the media, including overcoming gender stereotypes and promotingpositive portrayals of women and men in the media;
5. The publication of an Annual Report on Gender Equality in the European Union, including the progress towards
reaching the benchmarks and the evaluation of the results achieved;
6. The realisation of thematic studies on the target areas comparing and contrasting approaches within and across
Member States and applicant countries.
In implementing this strand the Commission will, in particular, ensure consistency and complementarity with the
activities conducted by other Commission services or by European agencies; in particular, the European Foundation
for the Improvement of working and living conditions and the Community RTD Framework programme.
Strand 3 /C151 Strengthening capacity
The following measures may be supported in order to improve the capacity and effectiveness of key players involved
in promoting gender equality:
wQk-k Transnational exchange actions, involving a wide range of players, to transfer information, lessons learned and
good practice. These activities may be conducted by NGOs or social partners at European level and transnational
networks of regional or local authorities and of organisations which aim to promote gender equality.
wQk-k These activities may include comparison of the effectiveness of processes, methods and tools related to the
chosen themes, mutual transfer and application of good practice, exchanges of personnel, joint development ofproducts, processes, strategy and methodology, adaptation to different contexts of methods, tools and processes
identified as good practice, and/or dissemination of results, profile-raising materials and events.
III.METHOD OF PRESENTING APPLICATIONS FOR SUPPORT
Strand 1: Actions (2), (3) and (4) of this strand will be implemented in response to open calls for tenders. Actions (5)
and (6), to be implemented by the Member State authorities in charge of gender equality or by equality bodies, maybe subsidised in response to restricted calls for proposals addressed to the Member States.
Strand 2: Actions under this strand will be implemented via the Commission, normally in response to calls for
tenders. Action (1) will be implemented following the relevant Eurostat procedures.
Strand 3: Strand 3 will be implemented in response to open calls for proposals organised by the Commission, which
will vet the proposals. The actions may be implemented by NGOs or social partners at European level, transnational
networks of regional or local authorities or by transnational networks of organisations, which aim to promote
gender equalityEN C 337E/200 OfficialJournal of theEuropean Communities 28.11.2000
IV.CARRYING OUT THE ACTIONS
1. The actions to be taken may be funded by service contracts following calls for tender or by subsidies for joint
financing with other sources. In the latter case, the level of financial assistance by the Commission may notexceed, as a general rule, 80% of the expenditure actually incurred by the recipient.
2. In carrying out the Programme, the Commission may require additional resources, including recourse to experts.
These requirements will be decided in the context of the Commission’s ongoing assessment of resource allocation.
3. In carrying out the Programme, the Commission may have recourse to technical and/or administrative assistance,
to the mutual benefit of the Commission and of the beneficiaries, related to identification, preparation,
management, monitoring, audit and control.
4. The Commission may also undertake information, publication and dissemination actions. It may also undertake
evaluation studies and organise seminars, colloquia or other meetings of experts.
5. The Commission will prepare annual work plans setting out the priorities and actions to be undertaken.
Moreover, it will also specify the arrangements and criteria to be applied in selecting and financing actionsunder this Programme. In so doing, it will seek the opinion of the Committee mentioned in Article 6.
6. Actions undertaken will fully respect the principles of data protection.EN 28.11.2000 OfficialJournal of theEuropean Communities C 337E/201