Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Final evaluation Report on the Community framework strategy and Community action programme relating to the Community strategy on gender equality (2001-2006) {SEC(2008) 2365}
Date: 2008-08-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU action, gender equality, position of women, women's rights

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 13.8.2008 
COM(2008) 503 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND 
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS  

Final evaluation report on the Community framework strategy and Community action 
programme relating to the Community strategy on gender equality (2001-2006) 

{SEC(2008) 2365} 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  Community  strategy  on  gender  equality  was  adopted  in  20001  and  a  Community 
programme2 was drawn up in 2001 to support the implementation of the framework strategy. 
In  accordance  with  Article 12  of  the  Programme  Decision,  the  Commission  presented  an 
interim evaluation report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social 
Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions3  in  2004.  The  same  Article  provided  for  the 
presentation of a final evaluation report on the framework strategy and the programme; this 
report is the subject of the present document and the annex thereto. 

2. 

REALISATION  OF  THE  AIMS  OF  THE  ACTION  PROGRAMME  AND  THE  FRAMEWORK 
STRATEGY 

The Commission adopted the Community framework strategy on gender equality (2001-2006) 
in  June  2000.  The  aim  was  to  establish  a  single  coordinated  framework  for  all  the 
Commission's  activities  in  this  field.  The  strategy  set  out  five  priority  objectives:  gender 
equality  in  economic  life,  equal  participation  and  representation  in  decision-making,  equal 
access to social rights, gender equality in civil life, and the overcoming of gender stereotypes.  

The framework strategy was to achieve its aims through the coordinated action of a number of 
Community  instruments,  including  legislation,  the  financial  programmes,  and  the  dialogue 
with employers and employees and civil society. The equality objectives were to be integrated 
into  other  policies  –  on  employment,  social  inclusion,  education  and  training,  freedom  and 
justice,  science  and  research,  and  development  cooperation.  Specific  activities  were  also 
aimed at improving the situation of women and men in the sectors that have a direct impact on 
women and men. 

The  activities  given  as  examples  in  the  framework  strategy  were  to  be  implemented  by  the 
Commission, the Member States, and bodies operating in the field of gender equality. 

The  Community  action  programme  was  drawn  up  to  support  the  implementation  of  the 
framework  strategy  through  across-the-board  and  coordination  activities.  It  supported  the 
achievement of the aims of the framework strategy between 2001 and 2006 for a total budget 
of € 61 742 241 spread over the th ree strands of activity. Strand 3 – cooperation between the 
parties  concerned  –  absorbed  the  largest  share  of  the  budget  (45%),  followed  by  Strand 1  – 
raising awareness of the Community dimension of equality (38%) – and Strand 2 – Analysis 
and evaluation (16%).  

Financing  of  Strand 1  made  it  possible  to  conduct  transnational  awareness  campaigns  on 
priority issues under the framework strategy in order to promote better understanding of the 
equality objectives.  

Over  the  entire  period,  57  transnational  awareness-raising  partnerships  brought  together  the 
promoters and intermediaries in the field of equality policy. Conferences, held twice a year by 
the Member States and involving the Council Presidency, provided forums for the discussion 

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of  various  priority  issues  under  the  framework  strategy:  the  gender  pay  gap,  women  in 
decision-making,  the  role  of  men  in  promoting  equality,  and  violence  against  women.  The 
conferences raised awareness of the values underlying the policy of equality and enabled the 
main protagonists to share the challenges of gender equality. 

Strand 2 involved statistical work aimed at improving methods and obtaining data on gender 
equality that were comparable at European level. A database was set up to chart the situation 
of  women  in  decision-making  and  define  at  European  level  indicators  of  the  proportion  of 
women  occupying  positions  of  responsibility  in  the  world  of  politics  and  economic  affairs. 
The analyses and new data met the Commission's requirements by improving its knowledge 
of  matters  including,  in  particular,  the  pay  gap,  the  under-representation  of  women  in 
decision-making,  reconciling  working  and  private  life,  and  the  availability  of  child-care 
facilities.  The  new  data  supported  the  Commission's  work  and  policy  proposals,  thus 
demonstrating  their  usefulness.  All  this  work  yielded  a  better  understanding  of  the  priority 
issues under the framework strategy. The publication of the analyses and reports has brought 
equality policy more into the public eye. 

The  calls  for  proposals  financed  under  Strand 3  were  aimed  at  non-governmental 
organisations,  employers  and  employees  at  European  level,  and  transnational  networks  of 
regional  or  local  authorities.  Over  the  period  in  question,  87  transnational  exchange 
partnerships were financed. These activities had a positive impact in that they made equality 
policies more widely known and enabled civil society and the other partners to be mobilised 
around questions of equality. Their contribution to equality issues was, however, less tangible 
and conspicuous than that of the activities under the two other strands. 

The  programme  also  enabled  applicant  countries  and  accession  countries  to  benefit  from 
activities aimed at familiarising them with Community policies and working methods in the 
field of gender equality. Awareness campaigns on the body of existing Community legislation 
and practice were conducted in the ten applicant countries and Croatia and Turkey in the form 
of  conferences,  seminars,  and  training  on  legislation  in  the  field  of  gender  equality.  They 
brought  together  the  public  authorities,  politicians,  employers  and  employees,  and  NGOs  in 
order to prepare the countries in question for accession negotiations.  

Overall,  the  programme  effectively  supported  the  aims  of  the  framework  strategy.  The 
activities  designed  to  support  the  various  objectives  were  conducted  in  a  way  that  was 
complementary to the other financial instruments mentioned in order to achieve the aims of 
the framework strategy. 

In  the  field  of  employment,  the  work  of  the  experts  helped  strengthen  the  Community 
dimension  of  policy  on  gender  equality  among  national  policies  through  the  analysis  of 
national employment plans and the availability of statistics. Community financing (European 
Regional  Development  Fund,  European  Social  Fund  and  the  EQUAL  initiative)  was  a  vital 
instrument  for  the  Lisbon  strategy  and  made  a  complementary  contribution  to  the 
implementation of the objectives adopted at the European Council in 2000. 

The  framework  strategy  has  also  clearly  resulted  in  progress  on  promoting  equality  in 
participation  and  representation  at  Community  level.  The  Commission  has  supported  the 
participation  of  women  in  decision-making  by  drawing  attention  to  the  democratic  deficit 
constituted  by  the  imbalance  between  men  and  women  in  economic,  social  and  political 
decision-making.  Awareness  of  the  phenomenon  has  improved  thanks  to  the  Community 
database  and  transnational  exchanges  on  the  obstacles  encountered  by  women  in  their 

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attempts  to  gain  access  to  positions  of  responsibility.  Various  activities  have  helped  to 
mobilise parties that have traditionally been relatively insensitive to the aims of equality and 
to strengthen in particular the position of women in research. 

Activities  to  promote  equal  access  to  social  rights  made  it  possible  to  accompany  the 
implementation of equality objectives in the open method of coordination in the field of social 
protection and inclusion, particularly through the work of experts. In order to support the aims 
of  equality  in  the  world,  institutional  and  practical  ways  of  promoting  women's  rights  have 
been strengthened in development aid. 

Various  initiatives  have  been  taken  in  the  field  of  equality  in  civil  life.  A  group  of  experts 
specialising  in  legal  questions  relating  to  employment,  social  affairs  and  gender  equality 
studied the application of the legislation and legal developments at national and Community 
level.  Other  activities  concerned  NGOs  working  to  combat  sex-related  violence  and 
trafficking  in  human  beings.  The  European  Refugee  Fund  and  the  preparatory  work  on  the 
integration  of  nationals  of  non-member  states  have  also  promoted  gender  equality. 
Programmes have concerned police and judicial cooperation and contributed to the combating 
of trafficking in and sexual exploitation of children. 

Efforts  to  overcome  gender  stereotypes  were  also  backed  up  by  activities  geared  to  the 
respective  roles  of  women  and  men  in  society.  The  education  and  training  programmes 
supported  the  efforts  to  overcome  stereotypes  and  encouraged  women  to  look  more  in  the 
direction of careers in science and technology. Taking account of the segregation of males and 
females in education forms part of the process of charting the development of the education 
and  training  systems  in  Europe,  particularly  with  a  view  to  attracting  more  women  to  the 
sciences.  

The  framework  strategy  and  the  programme  have  made  a  considerable  contribution  to 
improving governance at European level. Cooperation between the various parties concerned 
at national level has been enhanced by the establishment of the group of high-level officials 
from  Member  States  responsible  for  integrating  equality  policy  and  the  high-level  group  on 
integrating  gender  equality  into  the  structural  funds.  The  European-level  dialogue  with 
employers  and  employees  has  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a  framework  for  action  on 
gender equality. Civil society and NGOs have benefited from support aimed at consolidating 
their roles in the field of gender equality. The implementation of the strategy was monitored 
by  the  Commission's  internal  structures:  the  Commissioners'  Fundamental  Rights,  Anti-
Discrimination  and  Equal  Opportunities  Group,  and  the  Interservice  Group  on  Gender 
Equality. 

3. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The aims of the framework strategy were ambitious as they required account to be taken of 
the  principles  of  equality  in  all  the  Union's  policies.  The  five  policy  areas  identified  for 
structuring the framework for Community action corresponded with the main challenges to be 
taken up in order to support the equality objectives. By presenting this overall framework, the 
Commission  has  created  the  requisite  conditions  for  coordinated  implementation  of  the 
various instruments. The structural funds have been a crucial financial tool for ensuring that 
equality  is  taken  into  account  in  the  policies  of  the  Member  States.  Targeted  Community 
activities have increased the effectiveness of legislation on equality and supported the various 
institutions and civil society in effectively promoting equality in all the areas in question. 

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The programme has demonstrated its value through its ability to support the implementation 
of the equality objectives and to strengthen the coordination mechanisms and governance at 
European  level.  The  measures  that  have  supported  the  promotion  of  values  and  improved 
understanding of equality questions are very useful for Community action. 

Despite this positive assessment, there are still major gender inequalities. In March 2006, the 
Commission adopted an equality roadmap in order to take up these challenges4. This is aimed 
at combating gender inequality in six priority areas. In order to flesh out its commitments, the 
Commission is identifying the activities for which it is competent in the various fields and the 
corresponding deadlines, and strengthening the governance and monitoring mechanisms. The 
funding for work on equality under the new programme – 'PROGRESS (2007-2013)'5 – will 
make it possible to support the Commission in the implementation of the roadmap activities. 
By  merging  the  previous  programmes  into  a  single  programme,  PROGRESS  also  makes  it 
possible to take better account of gender equality in all its activities. 

There are still many challenges to be taken up in the field of gender equality that will require 
the commitment of all the parties concerned. The Commission has undertaken to strengthen 
its  framework  for  action  while  calling  on  the  others  to  play  their  part.  Employers  and 
employees  at  European  level  have  undertaken  to  implement  their  framework  for  action  on 
equality.  Civil  society  and  the  NGOs  are  also  determined  to  strive  to  eliminate  gender 
inequality.  Making  progress  on  gender  equality  is  also  a  task  for  the  Member  States.  In 
March 2006,  the  European  Council  gave  a  clear  political  signal  to  the  Heads  of  State  and 
Government by laying down the priorities of equality policy in the European Pact for Gender 
Equality. 

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