Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 251 of the EC Treaty concerning the common position of the Council with a view to adopting a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on promoting gender equality in development cooperation
Date: 2004-02-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: cooperation policy, development aid, gender equality

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 23.2.2004 
COM(2004) 131 final 

2003/0176 (COD) 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 251 of the EC Treaty 

concerning the 

common position of the Council with a view to adopting a Regulation of the European 
Parliament and of the Council on promoting gender equality in development 
cooperation 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
2003/0176 (COD) 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 251 of the EC Treaty 

concerning the 

common position of the Council with a view to adopting a Regulation of the European 
Parliament and of the Council on promoting gender equality in development 
cooperation 

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BACKGROUND 

Date of transmission of the proposal to the EP and the Council 
(document COM(2003)465 final – 2003/0176COD): 

30 July 2003. 

Date of the opinion of the European Parliament, first reading: 

18 December 2003. 

Date of political agreement in Council (unanimous): 

26 January 2004. 

Date of adoption of the common position: 

19 February 2004. 

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OBJECTIVE OF THE COMMISSION PROPOSAL 

The  objective  is  to  replace  the  Council  regulation  (EC  No  2836/98)  on  integrating  gender 
issues  in  development  cooperation  which  expired  on  31  December  2003.  The  Commission 
proposal dovetails with the  political goals of the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the 
Fourth  World  Conference  on  Women  and  the  UN  Millennium  Development  Goal,  and 
reinforces  the  gender  mainstreaming  strategy  by  supporting  specific  actions  for  the 
empowerment of women. 

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COMMENTS ON THE COMMON POSITION 

3.1. 

Consideration  of  the  amendments  proposed  by  the  Parliament  at  its  first 
reading 

In  its  plenary  meeting  on  17  December  2003,  the  Commission  indicated  clearly  that  it 
accepted  all  the  amendments  except  one  (Amendment  21  to  Article  11(1)),  as  they 
strengthened and clarified the text of the regulation without altering the main objectives. At 
the  beginning  of  January  the  Commission  informed  the  Council  orally  about  its  position  on 
the  EP  amendments  and  indicated  that  its  proposal  has  to  be  considered  as  amended 
consequently.  

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3.1.1.  Amendments accepted in full by the Commission and incorporated into the common 

position 

Amendment  1  to  Recital  2  (new):  emphasises  the  current  situation  for  girls  in  relation  to 
education. 

Amendment  2  to  Recital  13:  underlines  the  role  of  Gender  as  a  cross-cutting  issue  also  in 
financial terms. 

Amendment  3  to  Article  3:  broadens  the  international  references  to  the  Convention  on  the 
Elimination  of  All  Forms  of  Discrimination  Against  Women  and  the  Fourth  World 
Conference on Women held in Beijing. 

Amendment 4 to Article 3 (a): underlines the concept of “all ages” in the context of gender 
mainstreaming. 

Amendment 5 to Article 4 (1 (a)): broadens the list of projects to be supported. These areas 
for  promotion  are  health,  training  (in  addition  to  education),  access  to  economic  and  social 
activities,  employment  and  infrastructures  and  the  participation  of  women  in  political, 
decision-making. 

Amendment 6 to Article 4 (1 (b)): strengthens the analytical framework of the Regulation. 

Amendment 7 to Article 4 (1 (c)): adds the stakeholders network dimension. 

Amendment 8 to Article 4 (1 (d)): underlines the role of stakeholders in partner countries. 

Amendment  9  to  Article  4  (2  (b)):  introduces  education  and  the  information  society  within 
technical assistance. 

Amendment 10 to Article 4 (3 (b)): clarifies the role of operating expenditure. 

Amendment 11 to Article 5 (b): strengthens the role of strategic partnerships. 

Amendment  12  to  Article  5  (e):  introduces  a  series  of  policies  where  synergies  should  be 
promoted,  in  particular:  HIV/AIDS  programmes,  measures  to  combat  violence,  training  of 
women of all ages, human rights, conflict prevention, democratisation and the participation of 
women in the political, economic and social decision-making process. 

Amendment  13  to  Article  5,  (f  (new)):  focuses  on  the  relation  between  the  gender 
mainstreaming process and the six development priority areas. 

Amendment 14 to Article 5, (g (new)): strengthens links with education. 

Amendment 15 to Article 6 (3 (new)): underlines the importance of operational expenditures 
with respect to administrative expenditure. 

Amendment 16 to Article 7 (1 (b old)): deletes a redundant point. 

Amendment  17  to  Article  7  (1  (b  new)):  highlights  the  role  of  grassroots  organisations  and 
women’s organisations. 

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Amendment  18  to  Article  7  (1  (c  new)):  creates  a  link  between  private  sector  development 
and gender equality. 

Amendment 20 to Article 10 (3 (new)): suggests that the Commission takes into account the 
experience gained in the area of gender equality by the various parties involved. 

Amendment 23 to Article 10 (2): suggests that the Commission organises regular discussions 
on gender equality during meetings with Member States and Partner countries. 

3.1.2.  Amendments not incorporated in the common position 

The  Parliament  amendment  not  incorporated  in  the  common  position  is  Amendment  21  to 
Article 11(1). This called for an increase to the financial envelope from € 9 million over three 
years (EC proposal) to € 11 million. The proposed regulation has to play the role of catalyst in 
trying  to  mobilise  other  resources  in  the  context  of  gender  mainstreaming  in  development 
cooperation  policy.  As  such,  a  budget  increase  of  €  2  million  is  not  justified.  Moreover,  no 
additional  financial  resources  are  available.  The  Commission  cannot,  therefore,  accept  this 
amendment. 

3.2 

Common position of the Council 

The text of the common position fully reiterates the Commission’s position. It is acceptable to 
the  Commission  as  it  largely  respects  the  substance  of  the  Commission’s  original  proposal 
and takes account of the amendments proposed by the Parliament and accepted in full by the 
Commission. 

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CONCLUSION 

The  Commission  considers  that  the  text  of  the  common  position  is  a  good  basis  for  a 
European Parliament and Council regulation. 

The proposed common position is therefore acceptable to the Commission. 

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