Brussels, 05/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 5 March, the European Commissioner for Gender Equality, Vera Jourova, stated: “Europe is a good address for women, but there are still gaps in gender equality, which means lots of work for us”. The Commissioner made her comments at a press conference organised at the European Parliament on the most recent annual Commission report on inequality between men and women.
According to this document, full-time employment rates for men in the EU stand at 71.9%, whereas the rate for women is only 53.7%. Wage disparity stands at 16.4%, a figure that has only fallen by 0.3% since 2010. The differential between pensions stands at 38.5%. On this last figure, the commissioner commented, “This is the reward for carrying others”.
She indicated that she was determined to continue working on the “maternity leave” directive and that “we should try to have it adopted” before the end of the six-month deadline included in the Commission work programme (see EUROPE 11219). She also underlined the importance of the draft “women on board” directive, which seeks to establish a 40% quota of women on the boards of directors in major companies (see EUROPE 10967). She said that “we need to convince a few member states, including a big one. So, I'm going to Berlin soon”
Jourova also indicated that her services were currently working on a new strategy on gender equality, the precedent having been established between 2010-2015. An initial version is expected to be ready in May, after consultation and before its definitive adoption at the end of the year. According to Iratxe Garcia Pérez MEP (Socialists), a European Parliament resolution is also being prepared on the subject. She is hoping for its adoption in May 2015. (Jean Comte)