Brussels, 09/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - Five women occupying high powered posts in the Union have distributed a "common declaration on the initiative of Noëlle Lenoir, French minister for European affairs. This involves three new European Commissioners taking up their roles at the beginning of May - Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania, currently minister of finance), Sandra Kalneite (Latvia, currently minister for European affairs) and Danuta Hubner (Poland, currently minister of European affairs) and two ministers of European affairs in the "Fifteen": Frédérique Ries (Belgium) and Noëlle Lenoir, already mentioned. The declaration, which was presented to the press on Monday (in the absence, nevertheless, of Ms Huebner, who was in Warsaw), underlined that on 1 May 40 million women would become "European citizens" and automatically benefit from the principle of sexual equality in the treaty and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It is important that these principles are put into practice in equality that is not only legal but "in reality": equal pay, equal access to management posts and politics etc.
The five signatories, "women committed to the European cause and women political leaders" are calling for: a) a vast enquiry on "good practices" in equality and an "anthology of good practices"; b) a forum of permanent dialogue enabling this anthology to be enriched based on national experiences. They are launching an appeal to European citizens to be committed to the next European elections, the first to be organised continent-wide.