Brussels, 04/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - Under the Belgian Presidency of the EU, Laurette Onkelinx, Deputy Prime Minister and Belgian Employment and Equal Opportunities Minister, and Anna Diamantopoulou, European Commissioner for Employment and Equal Opportunities, are jointly organising a conference in Brussels on 13 September to mark the launch of the action programme on the EU strategy for equality between men and women (2001-2005) at which more than 400 participants are expected. The conference will look at the new strategies that the EU, national governments and social partners can implement to reduce the imbalance that still exists (despite existing legislation) between men and women's pay. (Women earn on average only 75% of their male colleagues' salary.) The conference will also give voice to representatives from candidate countries who will outline their position on the question of equality of opportunities for men and women.
Laurette Onkelinx, Anna Diamantopoulou and Maj Britt Theorin, President of the European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities, will open the conference which is divided into three sections: 1) Equal Pay: What instruments to end pay inequalites? Exchange of experiences; 2) Equal opportunities for women and men, the experience of the Central and East European countries; and 3) Tools for mainstreaming economic equality. The closing session will be chaired by Ms Quintin, Director General at DGV of the European Commission, and will include Ms Hertogs representing the ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation), Ms van Hoogstraten representing UNICE (the European employers' federation) and Mr Villeneuve from the European Centre of Public Enterprises (ECPE).