WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3951/98 by Hiltrud BREYER Gender mainstreaming in the Commission
Date: 1999-01-04
Institutions: BREYER, European Parliament
Subjects: European Commission, European official, common agricultural policy, gender equality, institutional structure, personnel administration, professional career, recruitment, vocational training, work schedule

11.10.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 289/107

The international combat against child trafficking is led by the United Nations which has appointed a special
rapporteur on the sale of children. The European Union will continue to work for an end to the practice of
child trafficking with the United Nations, including the special rapporteur on the sale of children, as well as
governments and non-governmental organisations concerned with the issue.

(1999/C 289/141)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3951/98

by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Gender mainstreaming in the Commission

1.

2.

3.

How does the Commission implement the call for gender mainstreaming in its own departments?

Does gender mainstreaming take place in the individual directorates-general, e.g. agriculture?

If not, why not - or is gender mainstreaming sheer nonsense?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 1999)

1.
Gender mainstreaming is taken into account in Commission staff policy, in particular through the third
action programme for equal opportunities for women and men at the European Commission (1997-2000)
adopted on 2 April 1997 (1). Under the programme the Commission requires Directors-General and
department heads to draw up specific action plans aimed at incorporating the gender perspective in the
various aspects of an official’s working life (recruitment, career development, training, working hours).

2.
At present most Directorates-General have drawn up an action plan and given a support committee the
task of monitoring its implementation. In the Directorate-General for Agriculture two working parties have
been set up to improve equal opportunities for men and women. One deals with questions directly relating to
agricultural policy, and the other deals with personnel matters in the Directorate-General. Both working
parties are chaired by directors.

3.
Incorporating the gender perspective is one of the Commission’s priorities. A specific equal opportu-
nities unit in the Directorate-General for Personnel is responsible for monitoring progress and developing
measures which help to give effect to the objective of incorporating gender mainstreaming in staff policies,
especially by holding seminars on the subject, or by giving direct assistance to Directorates-General and
departments.

(1)

SEC(97) 536.

(1999/C 289/142)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3977/98

by W.G. van Velzen (PPE) to the Commission

(4 January 1999)

Subject: Telecommunications and the political independence of NRAs

Mr Müller, the German Minister of Telecommunications, recently ‘advised’ Deutsche Telekom AG to withdraw
its proposal for tariffs for access by third parties to the ‘last mile’ (cf. Financial Times, 28/ 29 November 1998),
which Deutsche Telekom AG duly did. As a result, the German regulator was not able to deliver an opinion as