Europe for women.
Date: 2009-04-29
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communication
Subjects: European election, participation of women, position of women, public awareness campaign

Europe for 
women

European Union

You can find this booklet and other short, clear explanations about the EU online at
ec.europa.eu/publications

European Commission
Directorate-General for Communication
Publications
1049 Brussels
BELGIUM

Manuscript completed in March 2009

Illustrations: cecilebertrand@cartoonbase.com

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2009

20 pp. — 12 × 18.5 cm
ISBN-978-92-79-11481-6

© European Communities, 2009

Reproduction is authorised. For any use or reproduction of individual photos, 
permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders.

Printed in Germany
PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER

Europe for 
women

Europe for women highlights some of the many areas where Europe-
wide action has an impact on the issues that matter to you. From 
gender equality to consumer rights, from tackling the effects of the 
financial and economic crisis to controlling hazardous chemicals, EU 
decisions do make a real difference to your life and your future.

The year 2009 is an important one for European democracy. The elec-
tions of the European Parliament will take place from 4 to 7 June. 

This is an opportunity for you. By voting, you can make your voice 
heard  in  Europe  and  choose  your  candidate.  It  is  time  to  make  
women’s voices count in Europe.

The European Parliament deals with a wide range of policies: from 
responding to the financial crisis to working time and environmen-
tal issues. Some 80 % of national legislation stems from EU decisions. 
Members of the European Parliament therefore have a real impact. 

Which  issues  should  the  European  Union  tackle  over  the  next  five 
years? How do you want to shape Europe? By voting, you can help 
set the direction that Europe takes and make it a better place for you 
and your family.

It’s your choice. Use your vote.

Margot Wallström is Vice-President of the European 
Commission, with responsibility for institutional rela-
tions and communication. Her personal blog can be 
found at ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/wallstrom

 
 
 
 
A strong commitment  
to gender equality
EU laws are key to securing equal opportunities  
for women

Equal treatment for women and men was a founding 
principle of the EU in 1957, when the Treaty of Rome 
laid down the principle of equal pay. Since the 1970s, 
European and national laws have expanded women’s 
choices  and  improved  their  lives. The  proportion  of 

2

A strong commitment  

to gender equality

EU laws are key to securing equal opportunities  

for women

women  in  work  has  risen  steadily  and,  since  2000, 
female workers have taken three quarters of the mil-
lions of new jobs generated in Europe. Girls now do 
better than boys at school, and make up 59 % of uni-
versity graduates in the EU.

Nonetheless,  women  still  earn  15 %  less  than  men, 
and  remain  a  minority  in  political  decision-making 
and senior management positions.

So the EU is stepping up action to eliminate discrimi-
nation  and  achieve  gender  equality.  Key  objectives 
from now until 2010 include breaking down 
stereotypes,  and  achieving  economic 
independence for women so that they 
can work, earn their own incomes, and 
have equal rights to benefits.

EU  programmes  back  up  these  goals 
with financial support. The EU has also 
set up a network of women in decision-
making  to  accelerate  women’s  access 
to power, and is establishing an Institute 
for Gender Equality.

3

A green future for the green planet
Europe is a taking a lead in the global effort  
to halt climate change

What kind of a world will we pass on to our 
children?  It’s  a  worrying  question.  Each 
generation has a responsibility to make 
life  a  little  better  for  the  next,  but 
accelerating climate change means 
there is a real risk our descendants 
will  have  to  cope  with  rising  sea 
levels, food and water shortages, 
higher levels of disease and seri-
ous social unrest.

But  it  is  not  too  late  to  stop 
it.  The  EU  woke  up  early  to 
the threat of climate change. 
It  has  pioneered  action  at  a 
worldwide  level,  and  agreed 
on  concrete  measures  to  cut 
its own greenhouse gas emis-
sions by at least 20 % by 2020.

European  research 
is  help-
ing  to  develop  new  ways  of 
generating  renewable  energy 
from  wind,  water,  sun  and  bio- 
fuels, and creating jobs at the same 
time.  Much  of  it  can  be  sourced 
from  small-scale  local  initiatives,  and 
successful  new  technologies  can  be 
shared across Europe.

4

5

When the woman is boss
The EU backs women setting up their own businesses

Across Europe, far more men than women run their own 
businesses and manage companies. Entrepreneurs make 
up  around  8 %  of  the  female  workforce,  compared  with 
16 % of men. Women often face bigger problems in access-
ing finance and launching and expanding their own small 
businesses: recent figures show that men are three times 
more likely to be self-employed with staff of their own.

The  EU  believes  women’s  entrepreneurial  talents  can 
boost  European  prosperity,  and  since  the  1980s  it  has 
been giving practical support to women wanting to set 
up  their  own  business.  An  initiative,  launched  in  2004, 
aims to increase the number of start-ups run by women.

6

The  EU’s  European  network  to  promote  women’s 
entrepreneurship  has  members 
in  30  European 
countries, providing advice, support and contacts for 
female entrepreneurs, helping them to raise their pro-
file and expand their businesses.

Through the European Social Fund, women can get 
specialised  training  and  mentoring.  And  the  EU  has 
also  opened  a  Women’s  entrepreneurship  portal, 
encouraging  networking  among  female  entrepre-
neurs within and between European countries.

7

The EU’s toy story
Priority to protecting children through toy safety rules

All parents know how quickly kids seize on new games 
and  crazes.  Setting  high  standards  for  the  manufac-
ture and sale of toys is one of the ways the EU looks 
after consumers’ interests and keeps children safe.

8

EU rules oblige producers and distributors to ensure 
the products they place on the market are safe, and 
criteria for toys are especially strict. National authori-
ties check to ensure these requirements are met. If a 
faulty item is found in one country, a rapid alert sys-
tem  ensures  that  it  is  immediately  withdrawn  from 
shops across the EU.

Concern about some foreign imports has led the EU 
to  toughen  up  its  approach.  Toys  containing  mag-
nets must now carry appropriate warnings about the 
dangers they pose, for example. Potential risks need 
to  be  identified  early.  In  particular,  the  EU  is  taking 
measures to ensure that manufacturers and exporters 
 — such as the United States and China — adopt high 
safety standards. The well-being of children must be a 
priority throughout the entire supply chain.

9

A united front in tough times
The EU fights the economic crisis through  
coordinated national action

The  recession  has  left  Europeans  anxious  about 
their  livelihood.  People  across  Europe  have  been 
affected by the downturn and women are particularly 
vulnerable.

We now know that economic and financial excesses 
around  the  world  have  been  guilty  of  causing  the 
biggest  economic  crisis  of  our  lifetime,  with  severe 
implications  for  employment  and  income.  The  EU 
has reacted fast, uniting governments in their efforts 
to fight the crisis, injecting billions of euros into the 
economy to boost demand and rebuild confidence. 
It has moved to guarantee people’s savings, while the 
euro has aided small countries in weathering the eco-
nomic turmoil.

The Union also helps individual citizens to deal with 
the  impact  of  recession.  The  European  Social  Fund 
supports  10  million  people  every  year  —  over  half 
of them women — in learning new skills and finding 
work, helping to erode inequalities in the workplace.

We  need  to  go  further,  through  practical  steps  to 
re inforce social solidarity and stability, improving edu-
cation and allowing human skills to flourish. The crisis 
has provided us with an opportunity to draw import-
ant lessons and decide how we want to build our eco-
nomic landscape from here on; how best to support 
European  businesses  and  enable  them  to  prosper, 
while keeping social issues high on the agenda.

10

Protecting women against violence
The EU fights trafficking, abuse and violence  
against women

Violence against women is unacceptable in any form. 
Yet in Europe, many women and girls continue to live 
under the shadow of aggression or exploitation. They 
may be victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, 
of  trafficking  and  forced  prostitution,  or  of  intimida-
tion and oppression — breaching their fundamental 
right to freedom, dignity and safety.

The EU combats trafficking at its roots, tracking down 
the  crime  gangs  who  prey  on  women,  through 
international  cooperation  between  the  police  and 
judges  and  sophisticated  exchange  of  intelligence. 
It  works  with  authorities  in  areas  like  the  Balkans  to 
fight organised crime. Alleviating poverty in develop-
ing  countries  also  makes  women  less  vulnerable  to 
exploitation.  Women  who  have  been  trafficked  can 
get  help  from  EU  funds  to  reintegrate  into  society 
through education, training and employment.

The  European  Commission  runs  a  programme 
that  protects  women,  children  and  young  people 
from  all  forms  of  violence.  It  funds  projects  such  as  
women’s refuges and health facilities, as well as efforts 
to  change  attitudes,  and  to  protect  women  within 
migrant and ethnic minority groups.

11

Juggling professional  
and personal life successfully 
The EU helps people to balance the demands  
of work and home

Combining work with the care of children and other 
family members is a major issue for women, 
and  increasingly  for  men  too. Yet 
the  division 

12

of responsibilities at home is still very unequal, mak-
ing it harder for women to develop a career. Only 65 % 
of women with young children in the EU are in work, 
compared with 91 % of men.

The EU is working to create a better balance between 
professional, private and family life, so that everybody 
can plan to have children, or care for other relatives, 
without  suffering  stress  or  poverty.  There  are  laws 
on  parental  leave,  part-time  work,  and  protecting 
pregnant women and new mothers in the 

workplace.

The EU is taking steps to increase 
paid time off work for both parents 
and  to  introduce  flexible  work-
ing hours that will help them bet-
ter  balance  their  professional  and 
family  responsibilities.  EU  Member 
States have set targets for establish-
ing  high-quality  care  services  for 
children  across  Europe.  In  the  cur-
rent  economic  crisis,  strong  policies 
that  ensure  women’s  interests  aren’t 

sidelined are particularly important.

13

Controlling hazardous chemicals
New safety rules apply to some 30 000 potentially risky 
substances in use in Europe

In today’s world, chemicals surround us at every step: 
they  are  vital  in  the  production  of  anything  from 
clothing to TV sets. The EU has taken decisive action 
to  protect  people  from  the  risks  these  substances 
pose, following wide public consultation.

The ambitious REACH legislation, governing the reg-
istration,  evaluation,  authorisation  and  restriction  of 
chemical  substances,  came  into  force  in  2007  and 
will lead to the phasing out of dangerous materials. 
It breaks entirely new ground in putting the onus on 
industry  to  collect  data  and  guarantee  the  safety  of 
chemical substances.

Dioxins,  which  are  a  by-product  of  industrial  pro-
cesses,  have  also  caused  a  series  of  health  scares  in 
recent  years.  Even  small  concentrations  can  harm 
the  environment  and  human  health,  damaging  the 
immune system, nervous and hormonal systems and 
reproductive functions. The EU has adopted a Europe-
wide strategy to combat this threat and is working at 
the global level to counter the release of such long-
lasting, toxic substances.

Europe  has  also  been  key  in  encouraging  industry 
to introduce more biodegradable types of plastic for 
bags,  cups,  food  wrapping,  plant  pots  and  the  hun-
dreds  of  polymer-based  items  consumers  take  for 
granted.

14

15

Keeping the doctor at bay
EU governments, doctors and experts work  
together to improve health standards across Europe

Health  is  an  area 
where  EU  countries 
can  work  together  to 
find  solutions  to  com-
mon problems. Women in 
Europe share specific health risks.

Cancer  is  the  second  most  common  cause  of 
death  in  the  EU,  and  breast,  cervical  and  colorectal 
cancer account for 32 % of cancer deaths in women. 
The Union is encouraging Member States to set up 
large-scale  quality-assured  screening  programmes 
to  provide  early  diagnosis  and  improve  survival 
rates in the EU. Approximately 51 million screenings 
are carried out each year, but this must be doubled 
to cover all at-risk groups.

Obesity  is  a  serious  problem  in  Europe  for  adults 
and children. The number of overweight or obese 
children in Europe is growing by 400 000 a year. The 
EU has launched initiatives to encourage a healthy 
lifestyle  from  a  young  age,  for  example  through 
programmes  that  distribute  milk,  fresh  fruit  and 
vegetables to schoolchildren.

16

17

Taking consumers’ interests  
to heart
EU food safety measures help Europeans  
to make informed choices

Food scares, whether dioxins in pork or pesticides in 
fruit,  concern  Europeans  and  can  pose  serious  risks, 
especially for children and older people.

The  EU  implements  a  wide  range  of  measures  to 
ensure that food across Europe is safe to eat, and to 
encourage a healthy diet. They cover the whole food 
supply  chain,  setting  standards  and  monitoring  ani-
mal  health  and  welfare,  plants  and  crops,  and  food 
imports.

Europe sets stringent rules for organic produce, and 
stops the manufacturers of ‘health foods’ or slimming 
products from making inaccurate or unsubstantiated 
claims. EU legislation on food labelling helps consum-
ers make informed purchasing choices.

18

19

Getting in touch 
with the EU

ONLINE
Information in all the official languages
of the European Union is available 
on the Europa website:  
europa.eu

IN PERSON
All over Europe there are hundreds of local EU information centres. 
You can find the address of the centre nearest you 
on the Europe Direct website:  
europedirect.europa.eu

ON THE PHONE OR BY MAIL
Europe Direct is a service which answers your questions about the  European 
Union. You can contact this service by freephone 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11, 
by payphone from outside the EU +32 2 299 96 96 or by  electronic mail via 
the Europe Direct website: europedirect.europa.eu



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Europe for women

The  European  Union  is  involved  in  a  number  of  areas  that  affect 
your daily life, from gender equality to product safety. How do you 
want the EU to shape these issues in the future? Use your vote at the 
European Parliament elections in June 2009.

ISBN 978-92-79-11481-6