WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2601/98 by Anna KARAMANOU to the Commission. Violence and sexual harassment at the workplace
Date: 1998-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, KARAMANOU
Subjects: EU Member State, EU publication, European Commission, mental stress, public awareness campaign, report, sexual harassment, sexual violence, working conditions, workplace

C 31/152

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

5.2.1999

(1999/C 31/219)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2601/98

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Violence and sexual harassment at the workplace

A recent report by the International Labour Organization reveals that threats, physical violence and sexual
harassment are the main causes of insecurity among workers. The ILO report states that, in Europe, the
percentage of women who are subjected to physical assault at the workplace is almost twice the corresponding
figure for men, while, in the UK, the number of workers who receive threats is over 53 %. In particular,
psychological harassment has assumed alarming proportions in the western world, especially in Austria,
Denmark, the UK, Germany and Sweden. As regards sexual assault, France is the world leader, with 20 % of
working women having been victims of sexual harassment. In what ways does the Commission intend to
intervene and what measures does it propose to take to deal with this serious problem?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(17 September 1998)

The Commission fully agrees with the Honourable Member on the disastrous consequences of sexual harassment.
The Commission considers that sexual harassment at the workplace may infringe certain provisions of Council
Directive 76/207/EEC of 9 February 1976 on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and
women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions (1).

The Commission has long sonce taken several supplementary measures to combat harassment. Thus in 1991 the
Commission adopted Recommendation 92/131/EEC of 27 November 1991 on the protection of the dignity of
women and men at work (2) and, in 1993, it published a guide on implementing a code of practice to combat
sexual harassment.

In 1996 and 1997, the Commission consulted the social partners and invited them to negotiate a European-level
agreement on the possibility of designing a global policy at Community level to combat sexual harassment at
work. Unfortunately the social partners did not respond positively to the Commission(cid:146)s invitation.

At the same time the Commission commissioned two in-depth reports on sexual harassment in all the Member
States (definition, persons concerned, victim profile, consequences of harassment, legislation, anti-harassment
measures) from two research institutes. These two studies corroborate the points raised in the Honourable
Member(cid:146)s question.

Following the social partners(cid:146) refusal to negotiate at European level, the Commission intends, as an initial step, to
publish these two studies once they have been translated. These studies highlight in particular the need to alert
people to the significance of the phenomenon of sexual harassment and to work more actively to combat it. The
Commission is already considering other supplementary awareness-raising measures, including the possibility of
organising or subsidising a conference on this problem.

(1) OJ L 39, 14.2.1976.
(2) OJ L 49, 24.2.1992.

(1999/C 31/220)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2610/98

by Jesœs Cabez(cid:243)n Alonso (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Infringement procedures in the social and employment spheres

How many infringement procedures has the Commission brought since 1996 for the failure to comply with
transposed Community directives relating to social and employment affairs?

Which directives and Member States have been involved?