COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Strategy for equality between women and men  2010-2015
Date: 2010-09-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, domestic violence, equal pay, equal treatment, gender equality, remuneration of work, social rights

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 21.9.2010 
COM(2010) 491 final 

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

Strategy for equality between women and men  
2010-2015  

SEC(2010) 1079 
 SEC(2010) 1080 

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

Strategy for equality between women and men  
2010-2015  

CONTENTS 

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Equal economic independence..................................................................................... 4 

Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value ..................................................... 6 

Equality in decision-making ........................................................................................ 7 

Dignity, integrity and an end to gender-based violence............................................... 8 

Gender equality in external actions.............................................................................. 9 

Horizontal issues ........................................................................................................ 10 

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Introduction 

The European Union’s achievements in fostering equality between women and men 
have helped to change the lives of many European citizens for the better and provide 
the foundation on which we now have to build a genuinely gender-equal society.  

In  1975,  the  principle  of  equal  pay  for  equal  work  was  successfully  invoked  to 
defend Gabrielle Defrenne, who was an air hostess working for the Belgian national 
airline, and the rights stemming from the Defrenne case are an unshakable legacy for 
women  in  the  European  Union.  The  case  led  to  the  adoption  of  the  first  European 
directives on gender equality. 

Some  encouraging  recent  trends  include  the  increased  number  of  women  on  the 
labour market and their progress in securing better education and training. However, 
gender  gaps  remain  in  many  areas  and  in  the  labour  market  women  are  still  over-
represented  in  lower  paid  sectors  and  under-represented  in  decision-making 
positions. Parenthood keeps female employment rates down, and women continue to 
work more unpaid hours than men at home.  

Inequalities between women and men violate fundamental rights. They also impose a 
heavy toll on the economy and result in underutilisation of talent. On the other hand, 
economic  and  business  benefits  can  be  gained  from  enhancing  gender  equality1.  In 
order  to  achieve  the  objectives  of  Europe  20202,  namely  smart,  sustainable  and 
inclusive growth, the potential and the  talent pool of women need to be used more 
extensively and more efficiently. 

Gender  roles  continue  to  influence  crucial  individual  decisions:  on  education,  on 
career paths, on working arrangements, on family and on fertility. These decisions in 
turn have an impact on the economy and society. It is therefore in everyone’s interest 
to offer genuine choices equally for women and men throughout the different stages 
of their lives.  

Equality is one of five values on which the Union is founded. The Union is bound to 
strive  for  equality  between  women  and  men  in  all  its  activities3.  The  Charter  of 
Fundamental Rights4 provides for such equality and prohibits sex discrimination.  

In  March  2010,  to  mark  the  15th  anniversary  of  the  declaration  and  platform  for 
action  adopted  at  the  Beijing  UN  World  Conference  on  Women  and  the  30th 
anniversary  of 
the  Elimination  of  All  Forms  of 
Discrimination against Women, the Commission adopted the Women’s Charter5, in 
which  the  Commission  renewed  its  commitment  to  gender  equality  and  to 
strengthening the gender perspective in all its policies. 

the  UN  Convention  on 

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Council  Conclusions  on  Gender  equality:  strengthening  growth  and  employment,  2980th  EPSCO 
Council meeting, 30.11.2009. 
COM(2010) 2020. 
Articles 2 and 3 TEU, Article 8 TFEU. 
OJ C 303, 14.12.2007, p. 1, Article 23. 
COM(2010) 78. 

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Building on the Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010, as well 
as the European Pact for Gender Equality6, this Strategy spells out actions under five 
priority areas defined in the Women’s Charter, and one area addressing cross-cutting 
issues. For each priority area, key actions to stimulate change and achieve progress 
are described and more detailed proposals are to be found in the accompanying staff 
working  paper.  The  actions  proposed  follow  the  dual  approach  of  gender 
mainstreaming (meaning the integration of the gender dimension in all policy areas) 
and specific measures. The Strategy represents the work programme of the European 
Commission  on  gender  equality,  aiming  additionally  to  stimulate  developments  at 
national  level  and  to  provide  the  basis  for  cooperation  with  the  other  European 
institutions and with stakeholders. 

1. 

EQUAL ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE 

Economic  independence  is  a  prerequisite  for  enabling  both  women  and  men  to 
exercise  control  over  their  lives  and  to  make  genuine  choices.  Earning  one’s  own 
living is the main way to achieve this and there has been progress in the participation 
of women on the labour market during the last decade, with the female employment 
rate rising to 62.5%7. In the EU, women accounted for 9.8 million out of 12.5 million 
additional  employment  between  2000  and  2009.  This  increased  participation  has 
contributed to economic growth in the EU.  

Getting  more  women  on  to  the  labour  market  helps  counterbalance  the  effects  of  a 
shrinking working-age population, thereby reducing the strain on public finances and 
social  protection  systems,  widening 
the  human  capital  base  and  raising 
competitiveness. Measures to facilitate work-life balance can have a positive impact 
on  fertility.  To  reach  the  Europe  2020  objective  of  a  75%  employment  rate  for 
women  and  men,  particular  attention  needs  to  be  given  to  the  labour  market 
participation  of  older  women,  single  parents,  women  with  a  disability,  migrant 
women  and  women  from  ethnic  minorities.  The  employment  rates  of  these  groups 
are  still  relatively  low  and  remaining  gender  gaps  need  to  be  reduced  in  both 
quantitative and qualitative terms8.  

The  impact  of  parenthood  on  labour  market  participation  is  still  very  different  for 
women  and  men  in  the  EU  today  because  women  continue  to  shoulder  a 
disproportionate  part  of  the  responsibilities  involved  in  running  a  family.  Many 
women feel that they still have to choose between a career and their children. Current 
demographic  trends  also  mean  that  women  and  men  increasingly  have  to  care  for 
dependants other than children over indefinite periods of time. Member States which 
have put reconciliation policies in place are seeing high numbers of both women and 
men in work and relatively sustainable birth rates. The EU has made recent progress 
in improving the overall framework for a better work/life balance9. The Commission 

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European Council conclusions March 2006 7775/1/06. 
From 57.3% to 62.5% between 2000 and 2009 (age group 20-64). 
See, in particular, Employment Guideline 7, Council document 10907/10, 9.6.2010. 
COM(2008) 635, Directive 2010/18/EU  implementing  the revised  Framework Agreement  on  parental 
leave (OJ L 68, 18.3.2010, p. 13); Directive 2010/41/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 7 July 2010 on the application of the principle of equal treatment between men and women engaged 
in  an  activity  in  a  self-employed  capacity  and  repealing  Council  Directive  86/613/EEC  (OJ  L  180, 
15.7.2010).  

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will  strive  for  further  progress  in  this  area,  paying  particular  attention  to  the 
availability of affordable high-quality care. 

The  proportion  of  female  entrepreneurs,  at  33%10  (30%  in  start-ups),  is  some  way 
short  of  optimum  and  most  women  still  do  not  consider  entrepreneurship  as  a 
relevant  career  option.  The  implementation  of  the  revised  directive11  on  self-
employed  women  should  remove  a  major  barrier  to  female  entrepreneurship12. 
Young women should also benefit from the growing emphasis on entrepreneurship as 
one of the basic skills that schools should teach all pupils, as foreseen in the Youth 
on the Move flagship initiative13.  

The employment rate of migrant women is still low14 especially during the first three 
years  in  the  host  country.  For  this  reason,  there  is  a  strong  need  to  provide  early 
support  to  migrant  women  and  monitor  the  effect  of  such  assistance.  Making  them 
more  aware  of  their  rights  and  facilitating  their  integration  and  access  to  education 
and health care is crucial.  

The ways in which women and men experience poverty and social exclusion are still 
quite different. Women face a higher poverty risk, particularly lone parents and the 
elderly, when the pay gap becomes a ‘pension gap’. Barriers to employment are also 
reflected  in  higher  inactivity  rates  and  higher  long-term  unemployment  rates.  In 
addition,  amongst  disadvantaged  groups  (i.e.  migrant  workers,  disabled,  elderly) 
gender  gaps  tend  to  be  much  wider  and  cause  many  problems  for  women.  Active 
ageing policies and specific measures in the pension sector are needed to ensure that 
women have adequate means when they retire15.  

Key actions 

The Commission will: 

•  Support the promotion of gender equality in the implementation of all aspects and 
flagship  initiatives  of  the  Europe  2020  strategy,  especially  as  regards  definition 
and  implementation  of  relevant  national  measures,  through  technical  support  as 
well as through the Structural Funds and other major funding programmes such as 
the  7th  Framework  Programme  for  Research.  In  the  context  of  the  Employment 
Guidelines  and  the  evaluation  of  national  employment  policies,  it  will  monitor 
closely  the  national  policies  adopted  to  improve  gender  equality  in  the  labour 
market and boost the social inclusion of women. 

•  Promote female entrepreneurship and self-employment.  

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13 
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Labour force survey, 2008. 
See footnote 9. 
See also Employment Guideline 8. 
COM(2010)477 
Conclusions  of  the  Council  and  the  Representatives  of  the  Governments  of  the  Member  States  on 
Integration as a Driver for Development and Social Cohesion, 10307/10, 3.6.2010.  
See also Employment Guideline 10. 

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•  Assess  remaining  gaps  in  entitlement  to  family-related  leave,  notably  paternity 
leave and carers’ leave, and the options for addressing them. Social partners will 
be consulted on further measures, under Article 154 TFEU. 

•  Report on the Member States’ performance with regard to childcare facilities.  

•  Promote  gender  equality  in  all  initiatives  on  immigration  and  integration  of 

migrants.  

2. 

EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK AND WORK OF EQUAL VALUE 

The principle of equal pay for men and women for work of equal value is enshrined 
in the EU Treaties. Despite that, the gender pay gap (the average difference between 
men’s and women’s hourly gross earnings across the economy as a whole) in the EU 
remains  at  17.8%,  with  Estonia  at  30.9%,  the  Czech  Republic  at  26.2%,  Austria  at 
25.5%, and Germany at 23.2% against Italy at 4.9%, Slovenia at 8.5%, and Belgium 
and Romania at 9%16. Clearly this is a situation which the spirit of the EU Treaties 
requires to be changed over time.  

The root causes of the gender pay gap extend well beyond the question of equal pay 
for  equal  work.  There  is  a  gap  between  women's  educational  attainment  and 
professional  development,  thus  special  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  transition 
between education and the labour market. The causes of the pay gap also derive from 
segregation  in  the  labour  market  as  women  and  men  still  tend  to  work  in  different 
sectors/jobs. On the one hand, women and men are often over-represented in certain 
sectors,  with  ‘female’ 
in  health  care,  education  and  public 
administration) being in general less valued than typically male professions. On the 
other hand, within the same sector or company the jobs done by women tend to be of 
lower value and less well paid.  

jobs  (mostly 

The  pay  gap  also  reflects  other  inequalities  on  the  labour  market  mainly  affecting 
women – in particular their disproportionate share in family responsibilities and the 
difficulties  in  reconciling  work  with  private  life.  Many  women  work  part-time  or 
under atypical contracts: although this permits them to remain in the labour market 
while  managing  family  responsibilities,  it  can  have  a  negative  impact  on  their  pay, 
career development, promotion prospects and pensions17.  

Key actions 

The Commission will: 

•  With  the  European  social  partners,  and  respecting  the  autonomy  of  the  social 
dialogue,  explore  possible  ways  to  improve  the transparency  of  pay  as  well  as 
the impact on equal pay of arrangements such as part-time work and fixed-term 
contracts.  

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2008 figures except for Estonia (2007). 
See also Employment Guideline 7. 

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•  Support  equal  pay  initiatives  at  the  workplace  such  as  equality  labels, 
‘charters’,  and  awards,  as  well  as  the  development  of  tools  for  employers  to 
correct unjustified gender pay gaps.  

•  Institute a European Equal Pay Day to be held each year to increase awareness 

on how much longer women need to work than men to earn the same.  

•  Seek  to  encourage  women  to  enter  non-traditional  professions,  for  example  in 

"green" and innovative sectors.  

3. 

EQUALITY IN DECISION-MAKING 

In most Member States, women continue to be under-represented in decision-making 
processes and positions, in particular at the highest levels, despite the fact that they 
make up nearly half the workforce and more than half of new university graduates in 
the EU. 

Despite  progress  towards  a  gender  balance  in  political  decision-making,  much 
remains  to  be  done:  on  average,  only  one  in  four  members  of  national  parliaments 
and ministers of national governments is a woman18.  

In economic decision-making, the proportion of women is lower than that of men at 
all  levels  of  management  and  decision-making.  Women  represent  only  one  in  ten 
board members of the largest publicly listed companies in the EU and 3 % among the 
presidents of the board. Research shows that gender diversity pays off and that there 
is  a  positive  correlation  between  women  in  leadership  positions  and  business 
performance. 

Despite the EU goal, set in 2005, of having 25% of leading positions in the public 
research sector filled by women, the target is still some way off as only 19% of full 
professors  in  EU  universities  are  women19.  The  prevailing  gender  imbalance  in 
science and research is still a major obstacle to the European objective of increasing 
competitiveness and maximising innovation potential.  

The Commission will apply the same standards it encourages others to set by making 
the  necessary  efforts  to  improve  its  internal  gender  balance,  especially  in  decision 
making positions.  

Key actions  

The Commission will: 

•  Consider targeted initiatives to improve the gender balance in decision making. 

•  Monitor the  25%  target  for  women  in  top  level  decision-making  positions  in 

research. 

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19 

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=762&langId=en&furtherPubs=yes  
Grade A academic staff (professors) (She Figures 2009)". 

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•  Monitor progress towards the aim of 40% of members of one sex in committees 

and expert groups established by the Commission20.  

•  Support  efforts  to  promote  greater  participation  by  women  in  European 

Parliament elections including as candidates.  

4. 

DIGNITY, INTEGRITY AND AN END TO GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE 

There are many forms of violence that women experience because they are women. 
These  include  domestic  violence,  sexual  harassment,  rape,  sexual  violence  during 
conflict  and  harmful  customary  or  traditional  practices  such  as  female  genital 
mutilation, forced marriages and honour crimes. It is estimated that in Europe, 20% 
to 25% of women have suffered  physical violence at least once during their lives21 
and there are estimates that up to half a million women living in Europe have been 
subjected to genital mutilation22. 

Accordingly,  the  Action  Plan  to  implement  the  Stockholm  Programme23  puts 
emphasis on the protection of victims of crime, including female victims of violence 
and genital mutilation, and announces a comprehensive EU strategy on gender-based 
violence.  In  addition,  the  Women’s  Charter  envisages  the  putting  into  place  of  a 
comprehensive and effective policy framework to combat gender-based violence as 
well as measures, including criminal law, within the limits of its powers, to eradicate 
female genital mutilation once and for all across Europe. 

Gender-based inequalities are also present in healthcare and long-term care as well as 
in health outcomes. Women and men are confronted with gender-specific health risks 
and diseases which need to be adequately addressed in medical research and health 
services. There is a need to ensure that social and health services continue to improve 
their adaptation to the specific needs of women and men respectively.  

Gender  related  issues  are  also  of  particular  importance  in  the  area  of  asylum.  The 
2008 and 2009 Commission proposals amending the current EU asylum instruments 
address inter alia the key areas where gender specific elements need to be reinforced.  

Key actions 

The Commission will: 

•  Adopt an EU-wide strategy on combating violence against women that will aim, 
for  instance,  at  eradicating  female  genital  mutilation  using  all  appropriate 
instruments,  including  criminal  law,  within  the  limits  of  the  EU's  powers, 
supported  by  a  Europe-wide  awareness-raising  campaign  on  violence  against 
women.  

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2000/407/EC Commission Decision of 19 June 2000. 
Council of Europe, Combating violence against women: Stocktaking study on the measures and actions 
taken in Council of Europe member states (2006). 
EP resolution of 24.3.2009 on combating FGM in the EU. 
COM(2010) 171. 

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•  Ensure  that  the  EU  asylum  legislation  takes  into  account  gender  equality 
considerations;  promote  gender-specific  training  and  best  practices  within  the 
European Asylum Support Office as well as via funding by the European Refugee 
Fund. . 

•  Draw up a Men’s Health report, following the 2010 Women’s Health report.  

5. 

GENDER EQUALITY IN EXTERNAL ACTIONS 

The EU policy on the promotion of gender equality within the EU is closely linked to 
the  work  undertaken  by  the  Union  in  third  countries.  Through  all  relevant  policies 
under  its  external  action,  the  EU  can  exercise  significant  influence  in  fostering 
gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide.  

Candidate  countries  must  fully  embrace  the  fundamental  principle  of  equality 
between  women  and  men.  Monitoring  the  transposition,  implementation  and 
enforcement  of  EU  legislation  in  this  area  remains  a  priority  of  the  enlargement 
process, which the EU supports financially. 

In  the  context  of  the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  (ENP),  the  EU  supports 
partner countries' efforts to promote gender equality. The ENP Action Plans set out a 
jointly  agreed  agenda  of  reform  priorities  and  contain  commitments  of  partner 
countries  to  engage  in  dialogue  on  related  issues  and  to  carry  out  policy  and 
legislative reforms.  

to  speedier  achievement  of 

The  EU  remains  committed 
the  Millennium 
Development Goals, and to helping to attain the standards set by the Convention on 
the  Elimination  of  all  Forms  of  Discrimination  against  Women,  as  well  as  the 
objectives of the Beijing Platform of Action, and the Cairo Programme of Action, as 
foreseen in the EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment 
in Development (2010-2015)24. The EU guidelines on violence against women and 
girls  and  combating  all  forms  of  discrimination  against  them  provide  guidance  for 
conducting political dialogue and for taking action, where appropriate, in individual 
cases  of  women’s  rights  violation.  The  EU  will  continue  to  use  its  development 
policies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment25.  

The  EU  will  also  actively  cooperate  with  international  organisations  working  on 
gender  equality  such  as  the  ILO,  the  OECD,  the  UN  and  the  African  Union  to 
produce  synergies  and  foster  women’s  empowerment,  as  well  as  with  the  new  UN 
Entity  for  Gender  Equality,  UN  WOMEN,  and  will  support  civil  society 
participation,  capacity  building  and  advocacy  on  gender  equality  and  women's 
empowerment. 

The EU is also committed to protecting women in times of conflict and post-conflict, 
and  to  ensuring  women’s  full  participation  in  conflict  prevention,  peace  building 
and  reconstruction  processes,  and  actively  implements  the  EU  Comprehensive 
Approach  to  the  United  Nations  Security  Council  Resolutions  1325  and  1820  on 

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Annex to the Council Conclusions on the MDGs for the UN Plenary meeting in New York and Beyond. 
See preceding reference. 

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Women,  Peace  and  Security.  Gender  considerations  will  also  be  further  integrated 
into humanitarian aid26. 

The  EU  also  integrates  gender  equality  into  its  trade  policy  as  part  of  a  wider 
framework  of  sustainable  development  and  encourages  the  effective  application  of 
the ILO’s core labour standards and its Decent Work Agenda, including in relation to 
non-discrimination, in its preferential trade agreements. The issue of gender equality 
is  also  addressed  in  the  Sustainability  Impact  Assessments  which  are  prepared  to 
help guide negotiators in trade discussions. 

Key actions 

The Commission will: 

•  Monitor and support adherence to the Copenhagen criteria for accession to the EU 
in  the  field  of  equal  treatment  between  women  and  men,  and  assist  Western 
Balkan  countries  and  Turkey  with  the  transposition  and  enforcement  of 
legislation.  

•  Implement 

the  EU  Plan  of  Action  on  Gender  Equality  and  Women’s 

Empowerment in Development (2010-2015). 

•  Continue to encourage ENP partner countries to promote gender equality through 
regular policy dialogue, exchange of experience and by exploring possibilities for 
assistance under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument.  

•  Further integrate gender considerations into EU humanitarian aid.  

6. 

HORIZONTAL ISSUES 

6.1.  Gender roles 

Rigid gender roles can hamper individual choices and restrict the potential of both 
women  and  men.  Promoting  non-discriminatory  gender  roles  in  all  areas  of  life 
such  as  education,  career  choices,  employment  and  sport  is  thus  an  essential 
contribution towards gender equality. Gender equality needs the active contribution, 
support  and  participation  of  men  and  policies  should  also  address  gender-related 
inequalities  that  affect  boys/men  such  as  literacy  rates,early  school-leaving  and 
occupational health. 

6.2.  Legislation 

The  EU  has  a  long-standing  body  of  law  against  sex  discrimination  both  in 
employment and in other fields of everyday life. Through recent major simplification 
and modernisation, this legislation has been made more accessible to correspond to 
societal  change.  The  2006  recast  directive27  and  the  2010  directives  on  rights  to 

26 

27 

Notably in the context of the implementation of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, OJ C 
25, 30.1.2008, p. 1. 
2006/54/EC. 

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parental  leave28  and  on  self-employed  workers29  are  important  milestones  in  this 
exercise. 

An  effective 
legal  framework  requires  monitoring,  enforcement,  regular 
evaluation and updating, as well as ongoing dialogue with business, social partners, 
equality bodies and civil society representatives to ensure that it is apt for its purpose. 
Equality  bodies  at  national  level  which  assist  victims,  promote  rights  and  develop 
research  are  essential  to  application  of  the  rights  in  practice,  and  the  rights  of 
associations and trade unions to defend victims are vital too.  

In  this  context,  the  Commission  has  launched  a  comprehensive  study  on  the 
functioning of equality bodies across the 27 Member States and a more general study 
on access to justice in this area. Furthermore, the deliberations of the Forum on sex 
discrimination  in  access  to  insurance  and  related  financial  services  set  up  under 
Directive  2004/113/EC  will,  together  with  the  results  of  two  in-depth  studies  on 
insurance  practices  and  on  potential  sex  discrimination  in  education,  feed  into  the 
forthcoming implementation report on the Directive.  

The  aggravated  consequences  of  discrimination  on  two  or  more  grounds,  for 
example age and sex in the case of older women seeking access to employment, need 
to be addressed in the implementation of relevant legislation as well as of the legal 
acts  providing  protection  from  discrimination  on  the  other  grounds  referred  to  in 
Article 19 TFEU. The Commission is also studying the specific issues pertaining to 
sex discrimination in relation to gender identity. 

6.3.  The governance and tools of gender equality  

Strengthening cooperation with the various institutions and stakeholders active in the 
field  of  gender  equality  —  Member  State  governments,  the  European  Parliament, 
social  partner  organisations,  civil 
international 
organisations, EU agencies — will be crucial to ensure progress.  

society,  equality  bodies, 

On  the  basis  of  its  Annual  Report  on  equality  between  women  and  men,  focusing 
each year on a particular theme and identifying good practices of Member States, the 
Commission will institute a yearly top-level Gender Equality Dialogue involving the 
European  Parliament,  the  Council  presidencies  and  key  stakeholders  such  as  the 
European  social  partners  and  civil  society,  to  take  stock  of  progress  made  in 
implementing this strategy.  

Close cooperation with Member State governments will continue through the high-
level  group  on  gender  mainstreaming.  The  Advisory  Committee,  composed  of 
Member  State  representatives,  European  social  partner  organisations  and  civil 
society, will continue to advise the Commission on policy and legislative initiatives. 
The Commission will intensify exchanges of good practice between Member States 
in all areas covered by this strategy.  

The Commission will continue to work closely with the European social partners and 
the organisations representing civil society.  

28 
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2010/18/EC. 
See footnote 9. 

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Gender mainstreaming will be implemented as an integral part of the Commission’s 
policymaking,  including  via  the  impact  assessment  and  evaluation  processes.  The 
Commission  will  increase  the  knowledge  base  on  gender  equality.  A  significant 
impact is expected following the establishment of the European Institute for Gender 
Equality. As part of its work programme, the Institute will help the Commission and 
the Member States to report on the EU-level indicators established under the Beijing 
Platform for Action in areas of particular concern and to develop further indicators 
where needed (such as on women and the environment). 

The  Commission  will  continue  to  raise  awareness  of  and  publicise  the  benefits  of 
gender equality policies. It will, for example, improve its gender equality web portal 
with links and updates on progress.  

The next EU Multiannual Financial Framework will be presented in the first half of 
2011.  This  will  provide  support  after  2013  for  implementation  of  the  actions 
envisaged  in  this  strategy.  Moreover,  better integration  of  gender  equality  issues  in 
implementing  and reporting  on  the  current programmes (2007-2013) will provide a 
solid basis for ensuring that the gender perspective is incorporated into the design of 
the  next  generation  of  programmes  so  that  they  are  underpinned  by  a  solid 
assessment of the situation of women and of men. 

Key actions 

The Commission will: 

•  Address  the  role  of  men  in  gender  equality;  promote  good  practice  on  gender 

roles in youth, education, culture and sport.  

•  Monitor the correct implementation of EU equal treatment laws with a particular 
focus  on  Directives  2004/113/EC  and  2006/54/EC.  Monitor  the  extent  to  which 
gender has been taken into account in applying the non-discrimination directives.  

•  Promote  full  implementation  of  the  Beijing  Platform  for  Action  including  the 
development  and  updating  of  indicators,  with  the  support  of  the  European 
Institute for Gender Equality. 

•  Present an Annual Report on progress on gender equality, especially in the areas 
covered by this strategy, ahead of an annual top-level Gender Equality Dialogue 
between the Parliament, Commission, Member States and key stakeholders. 

•   

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