Brussels, 07/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is organising for 7 and 8 February in Brussels a conference on the theme “A European Town for Equality”. On this occasion, the CEMR is to launch a “virtual town for equality” based on best practice already implemented in various European local communities. The “virtual town” mainly takes into account women's specific needs in fields ranging from transport to urban planning and public services. Various workshops and round-tables are on the agenda including: 1) participation of women in the decision-making process at local level; 2) equality between men and women in the city as an “employer”; 3) equality in public services; and 4) a town better adapted to women's needs. Participants include: Vicenta Bosch Palanca, Chair of the CEMR Committee of women elected representatives of local and regional authorities; Edite Estrela, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's Women's Rights Committee; Beate Weber, Mayor of Heidelberg and former MEP; Paz Fernandes Felgueroso, Mayor of Gijón; and Catarina Tarras-Whalberg, Deputy Mayor of Stockholm.