European Parliament resolution on women in South-East Europe (2003/2128(INI))
Date: 2004-04-22
Institutions: Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, European Parliament
Subjects: Central and Eastern Europe, Greece, Türkiye, gender equality, position of women, pre-accession strategy, sexual discrimination, trafficking in human beings

C 104 E/1070

Official Journal of the European Union

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30.4.2004

Thursday 22 April 2004

E.

having regard to the violent actions of Islamic fundamentalist militants, particularly in these northern
states, and whereas a battalion of 500 soldiers, supported by tanks, was required to subdue the upris-
ing by the Islamic sect known as ‘Followers of the Prophet’, which had taken control of police stations
and schools in Kano State,

F. whereas, since 1999, 12 northern states with a Muslim majority have introduced strict Islamic Sharia
law, followed by increased tension between Muslims and Christians and resulting in ethnic and relig-
ious violence, including the killing of over 10 000 people,

G. whereas the Nigerian Constitution adopted in 1999 guarantees total freedom of belief,

H. whereas a religious law can only be applied to those who accept it, and whereas the European Parlia-
ment has repeatedly condemned the power of local courts under Sharia law to sentence women to
lapidation (stoning to death),

I. whereas the Nigerian region of Kano is one of the last remaining reservoirs of the wild polio virus,

Condemns all forms of religious intolerance and violence and most recently the widespread killing of

1.
Christians and the destruction of churches in the Nigerian state of Plateau;

2.
Calls on the Nigerian Government to take immediate and effective measures to protect its citizens,
put an end to the violence, actively implement the promotion of and respect for human rights and in
particular freedom of religion, and promote a dialogue leading to lasting peace and security in all states;

3.
Calls on the European Union to start immediately a political dialogue with the Nigerian Government
to promote tolerance and peace between the communities, including the religious authorities, and security
of the person, accompanied by respect for human rights, including respect for religious beliefs;

4.
Regrets the suspension of polio vaccinations by the Kano authorities, after unfounded rumours
spread by some Islamic preachers about the vaccine, thus seriously threatening the progress of polio
eradication in Africa;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the ACP-EU Council, the Co-

5.
Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the Nigerian Government.

P5_TA(2004)0382

Women in South-East Europe

European Parliament resolution on women in South-East Europe (2003/2128(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to Articles 6 and 49 of the Treaty on European Union,

(cid:1) having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

(cid:1) having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979,

(cid:1) having regard to the work of the Vienna Conference on Human Rights (1993), which affirmed human

rights and condemned the violation of these rights in the name of culture or tradition,

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Thursday 22 April 2004

(cid:1) having regard to the Brussels Declaration on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings

adopted on 20 September 2002,

(cid:1) having regard to the Conclusions of the EU European Council in Thessaloniki of 19 and 20 June 2003

and the Joint Declaration of the EU-Western Balkans Summit of 21 June 2003,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission 2003 regular reports on progress towards accession by Bulgaria,

Romania and Turkey,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 7 November 2002 on the report from the Commission: The Stabili-

sation and Association Process for South-East Europe: First Annual Report (1),

(cid:1) having regard to the report from the Commission: The Stabilisation and Association Process for

South-East Europe (cid:1) Second annual report (COM(2003) 139),

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 20 November 2003 on that report (2),

(cid:1) having regard to the activities and the progress report of the Gender Task Force operational under the

Stability Pact for South-East Europe (May 2003),

(cid:1) having regard to the study: Women’s Situation in the Balkan Countries: comparative perspective,
undertaken by Ms Marina Blagojevic´ on behalf of the European Parliament (Belgrade, February 2003),

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0182/

2004),

General

1.
Considers it essential for the countries of South-East Europe to ensure the incorporation of gender
mainstreaming into their stabilisation, democratisation and negotiation strategies in all areas of economic,
political and social life, as well as the adoption of measures to combat discrimination against women in all
fields within the public and private domains;

Stresses the importance of legal provisions for gender equality and of ensuring conditions and mech-
2.
anisms for their implementation (institutional, financial, human resources and knowledge base for gender
policy);

3.
In view of the importance of respecting human rights and minorities in this vulnerable region of the
Balkans, calls on the countries of the region and potential applicants for membership of the EU to sign and
ratify the 1950 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the 1979
United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW);

Notes with concern that many NGOs and international organisations report a significant increase in
4.
trafficking in human beings in South-East Europe and stresses the need to fully implement the commit-
ments given by the Ministers of the Interior and Ministers of Justice of the countries of South-East Europe
meeting in Sofia in December 2003 for the 4th Regional Ministerial Forum of the Stability Pact Task Force
on Trafficking in Human Beings, whereby they undertook to work together in establishing and implement-
ing special mechanisms and measures to protect victims of trafficking;

5.
Notes with anxiety that domestic violence and abusive talk which demeans women in the media
remain matters of particular concern in all the countries of South-East Europe, and that different national
reports show that the countries in the region are still at an early stage in the organisation of their struggle
against various forms of violence against women (ranging from verbal to physical violence) and discrimi-
nation based on sex;

(1) OJ C 16 E, 22.1.2004, p. 98.
(2) P5_TA(2003)0523.

C 104 E/1072

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Thursday 22 April 2004

6.
Stresses that reproductive and sexual rights are seriously threatened, while the health of women,
especially those in minority groups and rural communities, has been seriously jeopardised by stressful
conditions due to wars and difficult transitions, the ‘economy of survival’, which relies on intensive use
of women’s human resources, increasing violence against women and the fact that the health system in
many countries in the region has collapsed; draws attention to the generally bad situation of health-care
intitutions and infrastructures, with decreasing public investment in health care systems;

Is satisfied that women’s life expectancy has improved significantly, but deplores the fact that Turkey,
7.
Bulgaria and Romania continue to spend the smallest proportion (between 2,9 % and 5 %) of their budgets
on expenditure in the area of health care;

As with the participation of the applicant countries in the development of the pre-accession strategy,
8.
calls on the Commission to encourage the participation of the countries of South-East Europe in Com-
munity programmes to promote equality between women and men and in particular the Community
action programmes on:

(a) gender equality (2001-2005),

(b) combating discrimination (2001-2006) and

(c) preventive measures to fight violence against children, young persons and women (Daphne);

9.
Notes with concern that in most of the countries in South-East Europe women’s participation in
political life is currently below 20 %, which, in comparison with other regions of Europe, represents the
highest level of exclusion of women from political decision-making positions; calls on governments and
political parties to adopt specific measures (campaigns, quotas, laws etc.) to achieve a gender balance in
democratic institutions;

10.
Notes with concern that the economic decline of the region has a greater negative impact on
women than on men and that the feminisation of poverty is growing rapidly; stresses the fact that poverty
and unemployment, combined with a strong patriarchal tradition, are the root causes of the high levels of
prostitution and trafficking in women, as well as violence against women;

11.
Stresses that women’s human resources, which are relatively plentiful due to the widespread edu-
cation of women, are under-utilised for the economic, social and cultural development of the region
because of discriminatory practices and prejudices;

12.
Invites the governments of South-East Europe, in the light of increasing religious fundamentalism
and the re-patriarchalisation of societies, to guarantee fundamental freedoms and respect for human rights,
freedom of thought and freedom of conscience and religion, and to ensure that tradition does not erode
personal autonomy or violate women’s rights and the principle of gender equality;

Calls on the countries of South-East Europe to ensure by all appropriate means that educational
13.
materials, the media and advertising do not promote the model of a patriarchal society that offends
women’s rights but, on the contrary, help to promote a positive image of women, based on respect for
their dignity and the principle of equality between women and men;

14.
Taking into account the highly important role played by women in the prevention and resolution of
conflicts, in maintaining respect for differences, in building peace and in building bridges in citizen aware-
ness in order to create a climate of reconciliation, respect for differences, the peaceful coexistence of
different races and a common vision, calls on the countries of the region to mainstream a gender per-
spective into negotiations for conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping operations, rehabilitation
and reconstruction efforts;

15.

Calls for support for regional women’s networks and cooperation with similar EU networks;

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday 22 April 2004

16.
Notes with concern the lack of statistical information and research-based knowledge necessary for
policy making, monitoring and proper evaluation of the situation of women in all the countries concerned;
suggests the establishment of permanent contacts, through the Commission’s delegations, with the relevant
local, national and international institutions and NGOs working in the region in order to collect all avail-
able and useful data on issues relating to gender and the situation of women;

17.
Acknowledges and supports the work of women’s NGOs and of the Gender Task Force operating
under the Stabilisation Agreement for South-East Europe, especially in the field of combating trafficking in
human beings and increasing the participation of women in political and economic decision-making;

Albania

18.
Deplores the fact that Albania has long been identified as a source and transit country for traffick-
ing in women and children through well-organised criminal networks boosted by a high level of cor-
ruption; calls on the government of Albania to address more vigorously the issues of corruption and the
sexual exploitation of women and children;

19.
Stresses that no reliable data exist on the issue of domestic violence and sexual harassment of
women in Albania, which is attributable in part to a lack of awareness that violence against women is an
abuse of their rights; calls on the government of Albania to collect and comprehensively analyse relevant
data;

Notes with anxiety the revival of customary law in Northern Albania and the consequent deterio-

20.
ration of conditions for girls and young women;

Bulgaria

21. Welcomes the establishment of the Consultative Commission on Equal Opportunities for women
and men and the Commission on Prevention of Discrimination under the new anti-discrimination Act, but
recalls that Bulgaria is the only accession country with no implementation mechanisms in the field of
gender equality, these being conditions sine qua non for the proper transposition of the EU ‘acquis’;

22.
Points out that Bulgaria has the lowest level of employment by comparison with the other accession
countries (46,1 % for women and 55 % for men); calls on its government to adopt policies and measures to
eliminate income differences between men and women and increase women’s participation in the labour
market, as well as in decision-making and governance;

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Deplores the fact that trafficking in, and the sexual exploitation of, women and children is increas-
23.
ing, especially since the arrival of peace-keeping forces in the country; calls on the country to negotiate
and conclude as soon as possible the necessary agreements with Europol for practical and effective co-
operation between police authorities;

24.
Regrets the increasing tolerance of violence against women, which is also due to the prevalence of
negative patriarchal traditions and practices; welcomes the efforts made to adopt a law which will punish
domestic violence;

Calls on the Commission to develop specific actions and projects to combat trafficking in, and

25.
violence against, women, and to insist on involving local women’s organisations and initiatives;

Croatia

26.
Notes with concern that national courts are still slow and inefficient in prosecuting all forms of
violence against women, and calls on Croatia’s government to remedy this judicial inefficiency and to duly
prosecute crimes of violence against women;

C 104 E/1074

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Thursday 22 April 2004

27.
Calls on Croatia to raise awareness amongst law enforcement agencies of the existence of criminal
gangs trafficking in drugs and human beings, given that the level of such awareness remains very low
despite the fact that, according to recent experience, Croatia is an important transit and destination
country;

Greece

Notes with concern that the representation of women in elected bodies, government, trade unions
28.
and political parties remains low and that its poor record in this regard places Greece last among the 25
Member States of the enlarged Europe; urges the Greek government, the political parties and related auth-
orities to increase their efforts to ensure a gender balance in the political and economic decision-making
process;

FYROM

Notes that, in practice, there are no adequate mechanisms for full implementation of legal provi-
29.
sions on gender equality; that, whilst the existing legislation is not in itself discriminatory, it does not
address the problem of discrimination in a way which would ensure direct and effective protection of
women; observes that this is due to gender-determined stereotyping, which is deeply rooted in the tradi-
tional differentiation between the roles of the sexes;

30.
Deplores the fact that sexual abuse of girls within the family is not perceived as a problem in
FYROM even though the centres for social work indicate a widespread occurrence of this type of violence;

Stresses that the legislation of FYROM has no provisions on the crime of trafficking in women,
31.
which seriously hampers the effective prosecution of this phenomenon; calls on its government to draw
up legislation and standards in this field;

Romania

32.
Notes with concern that Romania remains seriously afflicted by trafficking in human beings as a
country of origin, transit and destination despite the 2001 Law for Combating Trafficking; notes the lack
of sufficient resources within the judicial system and calls on the authorities to conduct, in co-operation
with the Commission and NGOs, more information campaigns focused on prevention and on potential
victims of trafficking;

Regrets that many ethnically motivated crimes against Roma women still take place in Romania;
33.
demands that the Romanian authorities adopt all necessary measures to prevent these crimes and urges the
Commission to insist on this in the negotiations for EU membership;

Regrets that women remain under-represented in political

34.
life but over-represented in terms of
unemployment and poverty, especially among minorities such as the Roma and persons over the age of
45; calls on the Romanian government to make use of the financial possibilities the EU offers to reduce
the number of unemployed women and to promote female employment;

Points out that a number of specific problems remain to be tackled by the government, such as the
35.
lack of knowledge about, and the unavailability of, contraceptives, high levels of domestic violence against
women, the plight of women from minorities and forced marriages of underage girls; calls on the Roman-
ian government to take the measures necessary to speed up the process of complying with the body of
existing European law;

Serbia and Montenegro

Condemns the collapse of the trial against the Montenegro deputy state prosecutor and three other
36.
men for their involvement in sex slavery after the Prosecutor’s Office halted criminal proceedings despite
the existence of detailed evidence and the testimony of the victim;

Demands that the government of Serbia and Montenegro comply with the minimum standards for

37.
the elimination of the sex trade and adopt measures against widespread corruption;

30.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 104 E/1075

38.
Demands explanations for the apparent increase in trafficking in women since the arrival in Kosovo
of troops of the KFOR and the involvement of international police in trafficking; requests that the indi-
viduals involved be duly prosecuted and convicted;

Thursday 22 April 2004

Turkey

Notes with concern that domestic violence and other forms of violence against women are still
39.
widespread; urges Turkey to provide full legal protection, judicial assistance and economic aid to victims,
as well as shelters and similar facilities that, at present, are virtually non-existent; calls on the Commission
to continue closely to monitor developments in this field;

40.
Calls on Turkey to adopt gender equality as part of the sixth reform package of the Penal Code (cid:1)
Article 51 of the general provisions (cid:1) relating to crimes committed under extreme provocation, applicable
for offences traditionally viewed as being against virtue; calls for the discontinuation of the practice of
reducing sentences in cases of ‘honour crimes’ on grounds of customs and tradition (Article 462), taking
the view that such crimes should be considered as first-degree murder, and for the deletion of the term
‘virginity’ from the provisions of the Penal Code relating to the crime of rape;

Considers forced marriages (cid:1) still performed in Turkey (cid:1) as a violation of fundamental rights and

41.
a form of violence against women; calls upon Turkey to strive to stop this widespread practice;

*

*

*

42.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, the govern-
ments and the Parliaments of the Member State concerned, the candidate countries and the SAP countries,
and the Special Co-ordinator for the Stability Pact.

P5_TA(2004)0383

Review of Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines

European Parliament resolution on anti-personnel mines

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolutions of 17 December 1992 on the injuries and loss of life caused by
mines (1), of 29 June 1995 on landmines and blinding laser weapons (2) and on anti-personnel land-
mines: a murderous impediment to development (3), of 18 December 1997 on the 1997 Convention
on the prohibition and destruction of anti-personnel mines (4), of 25 October 2000 on anti-personnel
landmines (5), of 6 September 2001 on measures to promote a commitment by non-State actors to a
total ban on anti-personnel landmines (6), and of 13 February 2003 on the harmful effects of unex-
ploded ordnance (landmines and cluster submunitions) and depleted uranium ammunition (7),

(1) OJ C 21, 25.1.1993, p. 161.
(2) OJ C 183, 17.7.1995, p. 44.
(3) OJ C 183, 17.7.1995, p. 47.
(4) OJ C 14, 19.1.1998, p. 201.
(5) OJ C 197, 12.7.2001, p. 193.
(6) OJ C 72 E, 21.3.2002, p. 352.
(7) OJ C 43 E, 19.2.2004, p. 361.