Brussels, 14/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - British Socialist MEP Eryl Margaret McNally will invite the European Parliament plenary session next week to support the European Commission's communication entitled "Women and Science - Mobilising Women to Enrich European Research". This communication was adopted by the College last November at the initiative of Philippe Busquin (research policy). It was then forwarded for comprehensive review to the EP Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities (which unanimously adopted its proposal for a resolution on this subject) and for opinion to the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy. The European Parliament will debate the communication at its plenary session on Thursday in Strasbourg.
The Commission's paper highlights the problem of the low female representation in the field of science and proposes two objectives: a) to encourage debate between Member States and to seek the best means of encouraging women to participate in the fields of science and technology; b) to increase the number of women participants in research work supported by the European Union, which would make it possible to promote the Treaty objective on equality of opportunity and to enrich the quality of research being conducted.
In its opinion, the Committee on Research states that "raising the profile of women in research must be seen as a benchmark for the promotion of women in all the other areas of social and political life."
ACTIVITIES OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT