8 Amendments of Iratxe GARCÍA PÉREZ related to 2015/2116(INI)
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas there are still cases of multiple, direct and indirect discrimination of women on the labour market, despite the implementation of equal treatment in Member States; whereas women are not always aware of their rights under existing European and national legislation on equality and discrimination, or doubt the effectiveness of reporting cases of discrimination; stresses, therefore, the importance of information and guidance documents, awareness campaigns and information portals, particularly for specific groups (minorities, young people, women);
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the low number of complaints, which represent only a small percentage of actual cases of discrimination across the EU; notes that in some Member States the figures may be lower still because there are clear cases of discrimination that remain unreported and whose perpetrators are not prosecuted; stresses the need to redouble efforts to raise awareness, spread information, improve access to justice and complaint mechanisms, extend time limits for lodging a complaint for discrimination (which are currently too short), reduce the length and cost of processes and increase the availability of legal aid for complainants lacking resources, who are mostly women;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Deplores the fact that Directive 2000/78/EC contains no specific provisions on multiple discrimination, although it does at least state that women are often victims of it; notes, furthermore, that the combination of two or more forms of discrimination may pose problems arising from divergences in the guaranteed level of protection for different forms; stresses how important it is for the Council to reach an agreement as soon as possible for the adoption of a common position on the proposal for a directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons, irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (COM(2008) 426), adopted by the European Parliament at first reading in April 2009, which explicitly addresses multiple discrimination;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the Commission and the Member States to fill in all gaps in the collection of equality data because the scarcity of equality data makes it difficult to assess situations of discrimination and establish proof of its existence, especially in the case of indirect discrimination, in which statistics play a key role in proving the adverse effects of a superficially neutral measure directed to a specific group; recalls that this data should be comparable, and gender-disaggregated andso as to determine whether women are more likely to suffer certain types of discrimination than men, and should also take into account differences between women with and without children in order to allow for a correct assessment of multiple and indirect discrimination;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Member States to strengthen their equality bodies, as these bodies should take on a leading role in simplifying and facilitating the lodging of complaints by victims of discrimination, improving complaint mechanisms and organising awareness campaigns as regards women’s rights on the labour market;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses the importance of reversing the burden of proof to ensure the correct processing of complaints of discrimination in the courts and by other relevant authorities; believes it necessary to foster the correct application of this concept by training national judges and legal practitioners;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the fact that the overwhelming majority of Member States have considered some form of positive action within the scope of the Directive;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Notes with concern that national courts tend to apply the lower scale of sanctions provided for by law and award the lowest possible levels of compensation; emphasises the need for the Commission to pay close attention to the rules applicable to sanctions and redress in the Member States to ensure that domestic law does not, as the European Court of Justice has reported, provide for purely symbolic punishments or only issue warnings in cases of discrimination;