Brussels, 13/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - EU ministers with responsibility for gender equality will meet in Lille on Friday 14 November to debate two issues: reducing wage differences and best practice in gender equality in business. The meeting is being held after the conference also taking part at the end of this week on professional equality, an economic challenge in the face of demographic change (“L'egalité professionnelle, un enjeu économique face au défi démographique”).
The first part of the Council will see debate on the aims and means adopted by member states to reduce wage differences between men and women. The second part will be devoted to discussion among member states on how to spread existing best practice on professional equality of men and women in European companies and on the action taken by member states to promote and encourage it. The meeting will be followed by a declaration from the second Presidential trio (France, Czech Republic and Sweden) on promoting gender equality.
Among those taking part in the Lille meeting will be Valérie Létard, French Secretary of State for Solidarity, Dzamillia Stehlikova, Czech Minister for Human Rights and Ethnic Minorities, and Nyamko Sabuni, Swedish Integration and Gender Equality Minister. Vladimir Spidla will represent the European Commission. (G.B./transl.rt)