Brussels, 25/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - Before the EP's Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities this week, the European Commissioner for Equal Opportunities, Anna Diamantopoulou began a vast "pre-political debate" on the fifth framework programme on equal opportunities between men and women for the period 2001-2006. This pre-debate will gradually broaden to NGOs, national authorities and interested associations, in view of drawing up a formal proposal that the College will discuss in May, or at latest in June. The aim is that by the end of the year the Council should adopt this new framework programme so that it can take effect in 2001, and thus ensure a follow-up to Community action in favour of gender equality (the current programme ends in December 2000).
The new framework programme (that the Commission will submit to the European Parliament and the Council for formal approval) revolves around two main pillars: 1) a "mainstreaming" pillar, consisting of the different Commission services integrating concrete actions for women in all existing policies, activities and programmes; 2) a specific pillar aimed at combating all forms of discrimination that women run up against in the wokplace. Mrs. Diamantopoulou will propose that the programme be granted a total budget of EUR 50 to 60 million over the five years.
On 1 March, Mrs. Diamantopoulou will make a declaration on "Women in the Decision-Making Process", which the European Parliament will then examine. On 8 March, the International Day of the Woman (whose theme will be "The Union's Enlargement seen in the framework of equal opportunity policy between women and men") the annual report on equal opportunities together with statistics will be published. In April, an Internet site will be created and placed at the disposal of people and organisations participating in this vast political debate. All these actions are a follow-up to the policy debate held in the Council on the subject in January (see EUROPE of 29 January, p.16).
Having set out the main guidelines of this 5th framework programme before MEPs (see EUROPE of 8 January, pp.6/7), the Commissioner:
1) suggested, on a Swedish proposal, the creation of a European Gender institute, which would be a genuine Observatory, independent of European institutions, where people concerned by the gender issue could meet, and which would provide reliable statistics on the situation of young women and encourage interaction between researchers, political decision-makers and experts in the matter;
2) announced her intention of asking the College to allow her to propose to Parliament and the Council an amendment to Directive 76/207 on equal treatment, so as to include in the directive sexual harassment in the workplace and increased protection for pregnant women;
3) pointed out that, to respect balanced participation between women and men in the decision-making process, she was considering two actions: preparing a report on the implementation of a Council recommendation on this balanced participation, as well as a draft Commission decision for such balanced participation to be guaranteed in committees and groups of experts in the Commission. This report and proposal will be submitted to the College for adoption within two months.