Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community action programme to promote organisations active at European level in the field of equality between men and women" (COM(2003) 279 final — 2003/0109 (COD))
Date: 2003-12-10
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: ESC opinion, action programme, gender equality, position of women

30.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 80/115

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Decision of the
European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community action programme to promote
organisations active at European level in the field of equality between men and women’

(COM(2003) 279 final — 2003/0109 (COD))

(2004/C 80/28)

On 10 December 2003 the European Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule 29(2) of its
Rules of Procedure, decided to draw up an opinion on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 25 November 2003. The rapporteur was
Ms Wahrolin.

At its 404th plenary session (meeting of 10 December 2003), the European Economic and Social
Committee adopted the following opinion by 109 votes to five, with four abstentions.

1.

Introduction

2. Content of the proposal

1.1.
The aim of the proposal is to adopt a basic instrument
for awarding operating grants for the years 2004/2005 to the
European Women’s Lobby and to other organisations active at
European level in the field of equal opportunities between men
and women.

2.1.
The proposal contains an Explanatory Memorandum,
a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of
the Council with fifteen recitals, eight articles and an Annex. A
legislative financial statement is also included.

The Commission communication is of a technical
1.2.
nature and is motivated by a structural change to budget
document requirements.

1.3.
A basic instrument became necessary following the
adoption of Council Regulation (EC) No 1605/2002 of 25 June
2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general
budget of the European Communities. The decision to base
the manner in which the Commission’s budget is constructed
on the Activity Based Budgeting approach involved estab-
lishing basic instruments for a number of grants previously
funded under administrative appropriations (Part A) of the
Commission section of the budget (section III).

1.4.
Grants awarded to the European Women’s Lobby and
to other organisations active at European level in the field of
equal opportunities between men and women come under the
appropriations for which the legal basis needs to be amended
(budget lines A-3037 and A-3046). These organisations play
a major role in promoting, monitoring and disseminating
Community measures aimed at women. Their work serves the
general European interest.

2.2.
The legal basis for the proposal is Article 13(2) of the
Treaty establishing the European Communities, according to
which the Council has the power to take appropriate action to
combat all discrimination based, inter alia, on sex. Article 13(2)
and Article 251 of the EC Treaty govern the procedure for
adoption of Community incentive measures.

2.3.
In addition to references to EC Treaty articles and to
the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the proposal also refers to
experience of action at Community level where promoting
gender equality has required, in practice, a combination of
measures, in particular, legislation and practical action design-
ed to be mutually supportive. The proposal also refers to the
Commission’s White Paper on Governance, which advocates
the participation of citizens in shaping and implementing
policy,
the involvement of civil society and civil society
organisations, and more effective and transparent consultation
of interested parties.

Equality between men and women is a fundamental
1.5.
principle of Community law and of the case-law of the Court
of Justice of the European Communities. The Community has
a duty actively to promote equality between men and women
in all fields of Community action.

2.4.
The proposal also addresses the Fourth World Confer-
ence on Women held in Beijing in 1995, which adopted a
Declaration and a Platform for Action calling on governments,
the international community and civil society to take strategic
action to eliminate both discrimination against women and
barriers to gender equality. The proposal also refers to the fact
that in December 2000 (Decision 2001/51/EC), the Council

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adopted a Community action programme relating to the
Community framework strategy on gender equality, whose
actions should be supplemented by support measures in the
areas concerned.

2.5.
The proposal involves the establishment of a Com-
munity Action Programme to provide support for the Euro-
pean Women’s Lobby and for other organisations active at
European level
in the field of equality between men and
women. The general objective of the programme is to support
the activities of these organisations whose ongoing programme
of work or specific measures serve the general European
interest in the field of equality between men and women or
pursue an objective that is set in the European Union’s action
programme for equal opportunities between men and women.

2.6.
Under the proposal, the programme is also to be open
to the countries set to join the European Union in 2004, and
to the EFTA/EEA countries, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

3. General comments

3.1.
The Committee endorses the Commission’s view that
there is a need for a basic instrument for awarding operating
and action grants. The Committee feels it is appropriate
to establish a Community Action Programme to promote
organisations active at European level in the field of equality
between men and women. It is very important to be able to
support — via the programme — the commendable work
carried out by these organisations.

3.2.
The programme covers the period 2004/2005. How-
ever, in order to safeguard the work of the European Women’s
Lobby and of other stakeholder organisations, it is important
to continue to provide support after the programme period
has ended.

3.3.
The Committee would refer to the March 2003
Spring European Council, when the Council welcomed the
strengthening of the implementation, coordination and follow-
up of gender equality and gender mainstreaming in the
European Union and — in order to monitor progress — called
on the Commission to prepare,
in cooperation with the
Member States, an annual progress report on gender equality
together with gender mainstreaming guidelines, for submission
to the 2004 Spring European Council. The Committee sees
this action programme as an important contribution to the
annual report.

3.4.
According to the proposal, the European Women’s
Lobby plays a special role in this work and should be awarded
a special operating grant without having to go through any
specific application procedures.

The Committee is pleased to note that point 2.1 of the
3.5.
Annex specifically provides for respect for the freedom of the
European Women’s Lobby to select its members and pursue
its activities. The Committee considers it positive that respect
for the independence and integrity of grant-receiving organis-
ations should be spelt out in this manner.

3.6.
is
The Committee also endorses the idea that
important for European women’s organisations and other
organisations active in the field of equal opportunities between
men and women to be able to secure operating and project
grants under the programme, as provided for under the
proposal.

it

3.7.
The Committee believes that further clarification is
needed of the guidelines for awarding grants in respect of
underrepresented groups of women and girls, e.g. those with
disabilities; and for women and girls that are discriminated
against for multiple reasons.

3.8.
The Committee would draw the Commission’s atten-
tion to the need to ensure the programme is also open to other
European organisations whose work partly involves promoting
gender equality. Furthermore, the Community sets great store
by any initiatives that promote cross-sectoral cooperation
between the wide variety of civil society organisations, and
calls on the Commission to take this into account.

3.9.
The Committee would also stress that, in addition to
organisations whose main purpose is to work for equal
opportunities between men and women, it is important that a
broad range of organisations should be involved in gender
equality efforts and for the European Community to support
this. Gender equality is a human rights issue for boys, girls,
men and women, and is a fundamental freedom for men and
women regardless of race or ethnic origin, religion or belief,
disability, age or sexual orientation.

3.10.
The Committee feels, however, that the wording
relating to which other organisations active in the field of
equal opportunities between men and women are entitled to
apply for grants needs clarifying. While the proposal specifies
the geographic area of applicability, the Committee would
appreciate further clarification of ‘European level’, given that
the number of countries represented in the applicant organis-
ations and the geographic scope of project activity is certain
to vary. Any lack of clarity in the rules will hamper implemen-
tation. There might be some uncertainty as to how many
Member States an organisation needs to include for it to be
deemed ‘European’, or when an organisation is regional/
subregional.

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The EESC feels it is important that the special action
3.11.
programme should be adopted as a complement to other
targeted programme initiatives. It is also essential to push
ahead with gender equality mainstreaming in all Community
programmes and initiatives, where civil society organisations
active in the field of equal opportunities between men and
women can also be given the opportunity to contribute and
secure project grants.

3.12.
The proposal covers the two-year period 2004/2005
and the total allocation proposed is 2 222 000 EUR. When
finalising the budget framework for the period it is important
to take into account the demands made on organisations
active in the field of equal opportunities between men and
women by enlargement and the wide geographic area, both in
terms of administration and programme/project activities.
Grants to the European Women’s Lobby and to other organis-
ations active in the field of equal opportunities between men
and women have not kept pace with their increasing workload
in connection with enlargement and mainstreaming.

Consequently, the EESC believes there is a real need
3.13.
to increase financial support by raising the global allocation
and setting a higher percentage rate. The Committee endorses

Brussels, 10 December 2003.

the Commission proposal that organisations should be allowed
to apply for both operating grants and project grants, or just
one of these.

4.

Future action programmes

4.1.
The Committee would point out some shortcomings
in the Commission proposal that it would like to see remedied
in future programme proposals:

4.2.
The EESC would like to see a more clear-cut definition
of a ‘European organisation active in the field of equal
opportunities between men and women’.

4.3.
The EESC would like the Commission to clarify
whether the proposal covers all types of organisations that are
active in the field of equal opportunities between men and
women, or just women’s organisations.

4.4.
The EESC would also highlight that key policy areas
are missing from the priorities. The Committee believes,
however, that it will be possible to address these issues during
the programme period, when the follow-up programmes are
being drafted.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH