Brussels, 30/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Commission adopted its fourth Action Programme for Equal Opportunities between Men and Women (2004-2008). Since 1988, the Commission has been organising awareness raising among Commission staff about questions of equality, improving social infrastructure and testing out more flexible work arrangements. Since 1995, quantitative targets have been set for managers and administrators. This has led to a rise in the proportion of women holding managerial posts, notes the Commission in a press release, citing the example of the number of women at Director level, which has risen from 2.6% in 1995 to 17.4% in 2003. The fourth Action Programme will continue this trend by encouraging greater numbers of women on competition juries and internal appointment committees and encouraging women officials to follow management training courses, comments the press release.