Brussels, 12/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - Favouring a balanced representation of each sex in all the political fields and in all the bodies at European, national and international level; create a European network for the promotion of women in the decision-making processes and a network of national committee for equal opportunities; take the appropriate measures in view of conciliating family and professional life of men and women with a supply management of working time and an improved offer of a framework for children and other persons under responsibility. These are the main requests formulated in the report by Anna Karamanou (Greek Socialist) on the European Commission report concerning the implementation of the 1996 recommendation on the balanced participation of men and women in the decision-making process. This report will be discussed by the plenary on Thursday 18 January in Strasbourg.
Moreover, the Karamanou report calls for: - governments and institutional bodies of the EU to grant greater importance to the balance between the sexes in the designation of representatives and the formation of international inter-mediation and negotiating bodies or committees, notably in the framework of the peace making or dispute settlement process; - EU Member States to include, during the next IGC, amendments to the Treaty in order to promote the balanced representation of men and women within the EU institutions as well as in all the decision-making bodes; - social partners to promote the participation of women within these instances and in positions of high responsibility; - to rethink the structures and procedures of the parties in view of removing barriers to the participation of women.