Amended 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
Date: 2004-01-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, EU programme, gender equality

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 15.1.2004
COM(2004) 17 final

2003/0109 (COD)

Amended 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

(presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 250 (2) of the EC Treaty)

EN

  EN

2003/0109 (COD)

Amended 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

1.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this proposal for a decision is to provide a legal basis for issuing grants
to  organisations  active  at  European  level  in  the  field  of  equality  between  men  and
women for the years 2004 and 2005. This decision was made necessary by the change
in the Commission’s budget structure under the new Financial Regulation with effect
from 2004. As a result, the two budget lines currently concerned, namely A-3037 for
the  European  Women’s  Lobby  and  A-3046  for  the  other  organisations  active  in  the
field  of  gender  equality,  will  be  converted  into  budget  lines  by  field  of  activity
requiring a basic act.

On  the  same  date  of  27  May  2003,  the  Commission  adopted  six  other  proposals  for
decisions  with  a  view  to  establishing  a  specific  basic  act,  from  2004  onwards,  for
grants currently financed from administrative appropriations under part A with a view
to grouping them by  field  of  activity.  The  common general approach  adopted for all
the decision proposals under this initiative are explained in a Communication from the
Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  of  27  May  2003,  COM
(2003) 274 final.

This  is  the  background  to  the  adoption  by  the  Commission  on  27  May  2003  of  its
proposal  for  a  decision  establishing  a  Community  action  programme  to  promote
organisations  active  at  European  level  in  the  field  of  equality  between  men  and
women.  The  specific  legal  base  is  Article  13(2)  EC  requiring  the  codecision
procedure.

At  its  plenary  session  of  20  November  2003,  the  European  Parliament  adopted  20
amendments to the Commission’s proposal.

2.

EXAMINATION OF THE AMENDMENTS

The Commission accepts amendments 2 - 5, 12  - 14, 16 - 18 and 27 as they  stand,
and can accept amendment 22 in  part.  It  cannot accept amendments 6 - 11, 19  and
20.

2.1.

Amendments accepted by the Commission

2.1.1

Amendment 2

This  is  an  amendment  of  pure  form,  serving  only  to  clarify  that  the  decision
establishes a Community programme to provide support for the European Women’s

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Lobby  and  promote  other  organisations  active  at  European  level  in  the  field  of
equality between men and women. It is therefore acceptable.

2.1.2

Amendment 3

This  amendment  is  intended  solely  to  make  the  Commission  proposal  clearer  by
specifying that the activities of the grant-funded organisations must be in accordance
not only with the underlying principles but also with the legal provisions governing
Community action in the area of equality between men and women. The amendment
is therefore acceptable.

2.1.3

Amendment 4

The  amendment  deletes  the  specific  reference,  in  the  body  of  the  text,  to  the
European Women’s Lobby as a direct beneficiary of an operating grant under strand
1.  This  reference  is  in  the  annex  to  the  decision.  The  amendment  is  acceptable,  as
this approach involving identifying the specific beneficiaries in the annex is similar
in all the basic acts.

2.1.4

Amendments 5 and 18

The  purpose  of  these  amendments  is  to  specify  that  the  organisations  in  receipt  of
operating grants or grants for actions under strands 2 and 3 must pursue an objective
of general European interest which is part of the European Union's policy in the field
of gender equality. The amendment is acceptable.

2.1.5

Amendment 12

This  amendment  specifies  that  the  activities  of  the  European  Women’s  Lobby
mentioned  by  the  Commission  proposal  intended  to  reinforce  the  gender  equality
aspect  in  the  EU  enlargement  process  also  include  developing  cooperation  with
women’s  organisations  in  the  new  Member  States.  This  is  acceptable  to  the
Commission in as far as the women’s organisations referred to in the new  Member
States are active in promoting equality between men and women.

2.1.6

Amendments 13 and 14

These  amendments  add  additional  examples  of  the  type  of  action  to  be  financed
under the programme, such as gender mainstreaming in education, sport, health and
social  protection  and  fostering  cooperation  with  women's  organisations  in  third
countries. These are acceptable.

2.1.7

Amendment 16

This  amendment  specifies  that  the  members  of  the  European  Women’s  Lobby
include women’s organisations, as its Statutes also refer to women’s sections of non-
governmental  organisations  and  natural  persons  as  members.  It  is  therefore
acceptable to the Commission.

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2.1.8

Amendment 17

This  amendment  rectifies  an  error  in  the  Commission’s  proposal  for  a  decision,
pointing  out that  the  European Women’s  Lobby’s  activities  are  referred  to  in  point
1.1 and not point 1.2 of the Annex. It is therefore acceptable.

2.1.9

Amendment 27

Amendment 27 reflects the current situation of the enlargement process by indicating
that the acceding countries that signed the Accession Treaty in 2003 are included in
the programme. This amendment is totally acceptable to the Commission.

2.2.

Amendment partially acceptable to the Commission

2.2.1

Amendment 22

The Commission can accept part of Amendment 22 in as far as it specifies in recital 12
that the programme seeks to provide financial assistance to organisations in the form of
operating  grants  for  activities  of  general  European  interest  in  the  field  of  equality
between men and women or which pursue an aim which falls within European Union
policy  in  this  domain.  The  Commission  cannot,  however,  accept  the  deletion  of  the
reference to grants for actions, as this is likely to have the effect of limiting the scope
of  the  programme,  which  covers  the  award  of  both  operating  grants  and  grants  for
actions.

The Commission can accept this amendment on condition that the reference to grants
for actions is maintained.

2.3.

Amendments not acceptable to the Commission

2.3.1

Amendments 6 and 7

Amendments  6  and  7  involve  modifying  the  provisions  on  cofinancing,  degressivity
and,  indirectly,  the  duration  of  the  programme  put  forward  in  the  Commission’s
proposal.

The  Commission  cannot  accept  the  proposed  increase  in  the  cofinancing  of  the
European Women’s Lobby to a maximum of 90% rather than the 80% reflecting the
current  situation,  or  the  application  of  the  degressivity  rule  for  grants  to  the  other
organisations with effect from the third year, when the programme only lasts for two
years.

2.3.2

Amendments 8, 9 and 10

Amendments 8, 9 and 10 provide for an extension of the programme to 2008 and an
increase in the budget to EUR 5.5 million euros.

The Commission cannot accept amendments of this kind which are not in line with
the trilogue’s joint declaration of 24 November 2003.

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2.3.3

Amendment 11

Amendment  11  envisages  a  more  cumbersome  programme  evaluation  procedure
based  essentially  on  an  external  report,  plus  the  submission  of  a  report  by  the
Commission by the end of 2007 rather than 2006.

The  Commission  cannot  accept  an  amendment  of  this  kind  which  imposes  an
obligation  disproportionate  to  the  amount  and  duration  of  the  programme.
Furthermore,  as  the  programme  finishes  at  the  end  of  2005,  it  would  seem
appropriate to maintain the obligation to submit a report by the end of 2006.

2.3.4

Amendment 19

The  purpose  of  Amendment  19  is  to  enable  operating  grants  following  calls  for
proposals  under  strand  2  to  be  awarded  to  organisations  whose  activities  include
combating violence as an obstacle to equality.

The  Commission  cannot  accept  this  amendment,  as  it  arbitrarily  gives  priority  to  a
particular activity rather than keeping the provision general.

2.3.5

Amendment 20

This  amendment  aims  to  provide  the  Parliament  with  prior  information  on  the
priority themes before issuing the calls for proposals. The Commission cannot accept
this  amendment,  as  it  interferes  with  the  power  of  execution  of  which  the
Commission has a monopoly.

3.

CONCLUSION

By virtue of Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty, the Commission amends its proposal as
described above.

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