Key Notes

Ensuring equal opportunities for men and women

Women make up just over half of the European population due to their longer life expectancy .

The future of the continent of Europe, to be reunited in 2004 with the accession of the Baltic and Central European countries to the European Union, will to a large extent be shaped by their participation in the labour market, the opportunities they have to reconcile professional and family life, and their action in society.

There are already very significant differences in the female employment rate and birth rate within the current 15 EU Member States and these will increase in a Europe with 25 members. On average, 55% of women in the European Union are employed (72% in Sweden, around 41% in Italy and Spain, and 31% in Malta). The average fertility rate in the EU of Fifteen is 1.47 children per woman (2.10 and 1.88 in Ireland and France respectively, compared with 1.25 in Spain, Italy and Greece). This rate is 1.17 in the Czech Republic and 1.57 in Cyprus.

Since the signature of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, which made reference in Article 119 to the 'principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work', there has been more and more emphasis within the process of European integration on the situation of women, not only within the labour market but also with regard to maternity leave for example and combating domestic violence and trafficking in human beings.

The EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, almost 30% of whose members in January 2004 were women (compared with just over 20% in January 1999), gives special priority to these issues and has always been at the forefront of the campaign to improve the situation of women, a campaign that also helps to improve the situation of men. The EPP-ED Group has always taken a realistic approach and has avoided any hard-line demagogy that would weaken the situation of women.


I. Achievements of the European Union

The Treaty of Amsterdam, signed in 1997, took important steps forward as regards women, firstly by applying the codecision procedure in the area of gender equality, and secondly by incorporating articles on positive discrimination in the labour market (Article 141) and combating discrimination based on sex (Article 13).

The Convention's draft 'Constitution for Europe', which included under Title II the provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, makes further progress in this field, with Article 2 stipulating in particular that the Union is founded on the values of equality.


II. Achievements of the EPP-ED Group during the 1999-2004 parliamentary term

1) Two issues were dealt with under the codecision procedure:

the updating of the 1976 Directive on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions;

the EU's Daphne I programme to combat violence against women and children (EP rapporteur: Maria Antonia Avilés Perea, Spain).

The EPP-ED Group welcomes the fact that the agreements reached entirely reflect the positions it had adopted from first reading. As far as the Daphne II programme is concerned, the EPP-ED Group's requests at first reading were all accepted, in particular the size of the budget.

2) Combining professional and family life:

In relation to this vital issue for the future of Europe, highlighted in the conclusions of the Barcelona and Lisbon European Councils, Regina Bastos (Portugal) has drawn up an own-initiative report containing many proposals which was adopted in March 2004.

3) Some special categories and application of the existing directives:

Miet Smet (Belgium) put the case for 'Regulating domestic help in the informal sector' in her own-initiative report adopted in November 2000.

Rodi Kratsa (Greece) examined 'The situation of women in rural areas of the European Union in the light of the mid-term review of the common agricultural policy' in her July 2003 report.

María Antonia Avilés Perea analysed 'The objectives of equality of opportunities between women and men in the use of the Structural Funds' (March 2003).

Miet Smet called for greater representation of women among the social partners in her own-initiative report of September 2002. In her own-initiative report on 'Equal pay for work of equal value' adopted in September 2001, she regretted that there were still wage gaps between men and women (28% on average in the European Union).

4) Respect for women's rights in the EU's foreign policy:

The members of the EPP-ED Group have given special consideration to these issues.

Rodi Kratsa (Greece) has drawn up an own-initiative report on 'EU policy towards Mediterranean countries in relation to the promotion of women's rights and equal opportunities in these countries' (adopted in February 2002). Maria Martens (Netherlands) was the EP's rapporteur for the Commission communication on the programme of action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community development cooperation (April 2002).

Finally, the report by Miet Smet (Belgium) on 'The violation of women's rights and EU international relations' was adopted in November 2003.

Sabine Zissener (Germany) also prepared an opinion on the situation of women in Afghanistan.


III. The EPP-ED Group's objectives for the next parliamentary term

The EPP-ED Group will continue its action to ensure the effective application of the existing directives, particularly those concerning equal pay, and the adoption of new measures to enable women to reconcile professional and family life.

It will also pay particular attention to improving the participation of women in political life, which was the subject of a seminar organised in Venice in March 2003 on the initiative of Amalia Sartori. There is no doubt that the involvement of women in the process of European integration is vital for its success, as demonstrated by the failure of the Swedish referendum on the euro in 2003, where women voters made up a sizeable proportion of those who voted 'no'.


Adviser: Anne Vahl