Brussels, 12/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The follow-up to the action programme of the World Conference on Women (Beijing, September 1995) is the subject of various contributions aimed at preparing the extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly, to be held from 5 to 9 June in New York on the theme: "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the 21st century". After the adoption by the European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights of the Smet-Gröner Report on this follow-up (see EUROPE of 21 April, p.12), the European Economic and Social Committee (ESC) made its own contribution with an own-initiative opinion (adopted by 116 votes for and 2 abstentions during the last plenary session), entitled: "Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women". The rapporteur is Italian national Susanna Florio (Workers Group).
This opinion is for the most part in line with the conclusions of the parliamentary report. The Committee assesses the progress made since Beijing for promoting equal opportunities for women in areas such as education and training, health, violence against women, armed conflicts, the economic rights of women, power and decision-making, and institutional mechanisms. The Committee mainly calls for:
- the EU to work actively with its Member States to promote a strong, high-level presence of women, especially in decision-making posts;
- inequality and discrimination not to be considered just a social problem but also a structural problem, with this being taken into account by reform of the European institutions;
- the role of the social partners and contractual negotiations to be reinforced concerning the integration of women on the labour market, in order to abolish the large salary differences that still exist and to guarantee both men and women the possibility of reconciling family and professional life;
- the EU to undertake to ensure that the Member States sign a Convention for the elimination of all forms of discrimination and the optional Protocol;
- the definition of a European legal framework against every form of violence and abuse against women; and for programmes aimed at supporting enhanced education for women.