European Parliament resolution on the Commission annual reports „Equal Opportunities for Women and Men in the European Union - 1997, 1998, 1999 (COM(1998) 302 — C5-0106/1999) (COM(1999) 106 - C5-0289/2000) (COM(2000) 123 - C5- 0290/2000 –1999/2109(COS))
Date: 2000-10-05
Institutions: Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, European Parliament
Subjects: activity report, equal treatment, gender equality, position of women, social policy, women's rights

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8. Equal opportunities for women and men in the European Union (1997-1999)

Thursday 5 October 2000

A5-0198/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission annual reports ‘Equal Opportunities for
Women and Men in the European Union ’ 1997, 1998, 1999’ (COM(1998) 302 ’ C5-0106/1999)
(COM(1999) 106 ’ C5-0289/2000) (COM(2000) 123 ’ C5-0290/2000 ’ 1999/2109(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission reports (COM(1998) 302 (cid:1) C5-0106/1999, COM(1999) 106 (cid:1)

C5-0289/2000, COM(2000) 123 (cid:1) C5-0290/2000 (cid:1) 1999/2109(COS)),

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 16 September 1997 (1) on the annual report from the Commission:

Equal Opportunities for Women and Men in the European Union 1996,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 4 May 1999 (2) on the interim report of the Commission to the
European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the
Regions on the implementation of the medium-term action programme on equal opportunities for
men and women (1996-2000),

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0198/

2000),

A. whereas Articles 2, 3, 13, 137 and 141 of the Treaty of Amsterdam established a new basis for the

principle of equal treatment for men and women,

B. whereas the biggest challenge at the present time is enlargement of the Union and the related issue of

securing the rights of women in the applicant countries, while not failing women in the EU,

C. whereas the Member States and the Commission still have to implement properly the Beijing Platform
for Action and will have to establish new policies within their spheres of responsibility to comply with
the declaration of the Special Session of the UN on Beijing+5 of June 2000 and with the final out-
come document of that Special Session,

D. whereas despite the increasing presence of women in the labour market, women are still concentrated
in certain economic sectors and categories of activity, are therefore often relegated to atypical work or
work at home and are still more vulnerable than their male colleagues to unemployment and casual
labour,

E. whereas the gap between women’s and men’s pay remains at an average of 30 % in spite of EC and
national legislation being introduced over 25 years ago; whereas the Commission’s Code of Conduct
on equal pay for work of equal value provides a model enabling the social partners to pursue and
achieve equal pay between women and men but seems so far not to be proving effective in closing the
existing pay gap,

F. whereas reconciling work and home life is a question that affects both men and women and involves
not just childcare facilities but care for other dependants such as elderly, sick or disabled relatives, as
well as basic lifestyle factors, and will only become a reality when effective and innovative enforceable
measures are taken at EC as well as national level,

(1) OJ C 304, 6.10.1997, p. 45.
(2) OJ C 279, 1.10.1999, p. 88.

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G. whereas measures to assist employees in combining work and family life have been found to improve

productivity and staff retention,

H. whereas on 7 June 2000 the Commission adopted a communication and a proposal for a Council
Decision on the programme concerning a Community framework strategy on gender equality (2001-
2005) (COM(2000) 335-2000/0143(CNS)),

I. whereas on 7 June 2000 the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive amending Directive 76/
207/EEC aiming to facilitate an improved implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men
and women, including better protection against sexual harassment at work,

1.
Calls on the Commission to continue to draw up annual reports, which are an essential tool for
monitoring and keeping track of national and Community policies on equal opportunities and, in particu-
lar, of implementation of the programme concerning the Community framework strategy on gender equal-
ity (2001-2005);

2.
Reaffirms international declarations and agreements to the effect that women’s rights are human
rights and calls therefore on the Commission, the Member States and the applicant countries to comply
fully with all elements of the relevant declarations and agreements, especially the Beijing Platform for
Action and the declaration and the final outcome document of the UN General Assembly Special Session
in New York; urges the applicant countries to speed up implementation of the acquis communautaire on
equal opportunities;

3.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to work to secure women’s rights in the context of
the EU’s external affairs, which is absolutely crucial as far as the EU’s current main task is concerned,
i.e. securing enlargement, and means that the Commission must require the applicant countries to imple-
ment the necessary mechanisms to ensure that equal opportunities are an integral part of the applicant
countries’ policies;

4.
Calls on the Commission to strengthen the strategic nature of the report by evaluating the effective-
ness of policy measures rather than merely describing them, e.g. by further developing the nine indicators
devised by the Finnish Presidency to include, for instance, the labour market (including the information
and communications technology sector), education, implementation of directives such as those on parental
leave, and the programme concerning the Community framework strategy on gender equality (2001-2005)
so that the consequences for men and women of political decisions with respect to mainstreaming can be
better evaluated;

Urges the Commission henceforth to include in its annual reports, starting with the next one, the

5.
resolutions adopted by the European Parliament on this subject;

Takes the view that gender disaggregated statistics and data are an essential tool for assessing pro-
impact on

6.
gress towards equality goals and for promoting mainstreaming by showing the differential
women and men of all policies, particularly in fields previously thought to be gender-neutral;

7.
Considers it essential to identify comparable indicators, analysis procedures and information to facil-
itate a correct assessment of the situation of women in the EU; requests the Commission to undertake a
major study into the situation of women in the Union, including the applicant countries, covering all
aspects related to gender, to serve as a basis for an overall medium- and long-term all-inclusive strategy
to end all forms of inequality; requests the Commission to undertake a major study into the results of
25 years of European policy for the equality of women and assess the actual status of women in the
Union, including the applicant countries, covering all aspects related to gender, to serve as a basis for a
new definition of the problem and an overall medium- and long-term all-inclusive strategy to end all forms
of gender inequality;

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8.
Calls, therefore, on the Commission to allocate/ensure the availability of the resources and expertise
needed to develop and collect data, for the EU as a whole and for each Member State, as well as for the
applicant countries, in order to improve the quality of the annual report and the ongoing debate on equal
opportunities in Europe;

9.
Considers that actions should be laid down and steps taken to overcome the obstacles to women’s
access to decision-making posts in the field of political and trade union activity and within firms, and to
identify the disincentives (such as inadequate support for female party members, inconvenient times and
places for meetings, lack of information or attitudes hostile to women’s presence and participation); further
considers that these actions could be used by the Commission and the Member States to promote aware-
ness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public in order to focus attention on the importance of a
balanced participation of women and men in decision-making;

10.
Calls on the Commission to set up an investigation into the educational level of women, their
choice of education, the advice given to them on courses and careers to follow, and their chances to
participate on an equal footing with men in working life and in the political decision-making processes;
calls also on the Commission to set up a campaign to encourage diversity in the career choices of women
and girls;

11.
Calls on the Commission to undertake a study to determine what bearing part-time work and aty-
pical employment have on pay, social security contributions, women’s pensions and the spread of female
poverty;

Calls on the Commission to consider how far women and men can truly be said to be equal in

12.
terms of social, tax, and economic rights;

Considers that any type of aid, funding, or benefit granted by the Union must be subject to the

13.
requirement to observe the principle of equal pay for men and women;

14.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States, in particular, to see how new sectors such as
information and communications technology can create new job opportunities for women; believes also
that educational opportunities need to be considered, in addition to the possibility, in this connection, of
an information campaign to persuade more women to enter this sector;

15.
Recognises that equal opportunities also require men to take part in the process, for example, by
helping look after children, etc.; calls, therefore, on the Commission and Member States to ensure that
legislative measures do not have adverse implications for women’s involvement in the labour market;

16.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.

9. Situation in the Middle East

B5-0798 and 0799/2000

European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Middle East

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East peace process,

(cid:1) having regard to the statements made by the European Union Presidency on 30 September and

1 October 2000,