COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION "INCORPORATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND MEN INTO ALL COMMUNITY POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES"
Date: 1996-02-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, European Social Fund, Structural Funds, equal treatment, gender equality

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. 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

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 
technologies, 
interest: 
which  women  have  a  particular 
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. 

information 

the  new 

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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ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(96) 67  final 

DOCUMENTS 

04 

EN 

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Catalogue number  : CB-CO-96-083-EN-C 

ISBN 92-78-00899-0 

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 

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