Brussels, 18/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament (EP) will step up its efforts to ensure gender equality in its operation. In the plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday 17 November, the EP adopted a report on gender mainstreaming in the work of the Parliament. This was a report on which Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL, Sweden) was working and which was taken over by Mikael Gustafsson (GUE/NGL, Sweden), who chairs the EP women's rights and gender equality committee, after Svensson left the EP. Parliament undertakes to better reflect gender equality at all levels and in all areas. It says the number of women in Parliamentary committees, delegations and other decision-making bodies should be increased. Gustafsson said that the EP had to lead by example: “How can we be credible to the outside if we don't show that we practise what we preach?” he asked. (MD/transl.rt)