Brussels, 04/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - With its adoption of the report by British Socialist Eryl Margaret McNally, Parliament approved the European Commission's communication entitled "Women and Science - Mobilising Women to Enrich European Research" (see EUROPE of 15 January, p. 8). It particularly asks: i) the Commission to incorporate research findings on sexual discrimination into projects under the Sixth Framework Programme, especially for the application of positive actions and measures to combat women's under-representation in science; ii) Member States to increase the number of grants made available to women in the fields of science and technology.
Parliament also calls for the development of information programmes for girls of school age on scientific studies and possible careers in this area, and the adoption of appropriate measures to help women combine career and family. Parliament took note of the Commission's undertaking to make significant efforts to increase women's participation in Community research programmes and its opinion that a minimum rate of 40% women's participation should be sought at all levels of implementation and management of research programmes.
The debate was held in Strasbourg at the preceding plenary session and the report adopted in a vote of 482 to 5, with 31 abstentions (the vote had been postponed due to translation problems).