Activites

• 1995/12/30 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Decision 1995/593
  • OJ L 335 30.12.1995, p. 0037
• #1899
• 1995/12/22 Council Meeting
• 1995/12/22 End of procedure in Parliament
• 1995/12/22 Act adopted by Council after consultation of Parliament
• #1892
• 1995/12/05 Council Meeting
• 1995/11/27 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1995)0602 summary

    In its amended proposal, the Commission adopted a limited number of the amendments proposed by Parliament. These related to the following: - inclusion of a reference to "equality of treatment" alongside the existing references to "equality of opportunities" contained in the proposal, - taking account of the decisions reached at the European Council of Cannes and at the UN's Pekin Conference, - consideration of the phenomenon of the feminization of poverty in the EU, - highlighting the importance of access to education and professional training, as well as the promotion of diversification in the professional choices available to females of all ages and access to information and structures which will enable women to exercise their rights in full, - promotion of an active partnership between the Commission, national and local authorities and female-oriented European NGOs, when drawing up the measures to be adopted, - highlighting the positive actions which the programme can take to promote the cause of women, - as regards the measures to be taken, technical and financial support should be provided for the identification and transfer of good practice in the economic, social and cultural sectors, as well as in other areas which have already been included in the programme, - the programme should also provide support for actions related to equal opportunities, by taking account of national, regional and local differences in order to maximize the impact of the measures adopted, - in implementing the programme, the Commission shall cooperate with social representatives who are involved in promoting equal opportunities, notably NGOs and the relevant authorities at EU and Member State level. �

• 1995/11/17 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    The rapporteur, Mrs BENNASAR TOUS, recalled the different stages of the programmes on equal opportunities between men and women (1982, 1986, 1990) and stated that the present document differed from the others because it developed the citizenship of women. The priority objectives of the fourth programme were information and training for women, in particular with a view to adopting or strengthening the legal measures to combat all forms of social or private violence. She called for further mainstreaming of the programme, in other words integration of equality in all of the EU’s programmes, actions and structural funds and in all policies at every level. In short, the programme, which was based on the positive outcome of the Beijing Conference, sought to mark a change of attitudes towards the relationships between men and women within the family and in the workplace. Commissioner Flynn noted first and foremost that Parliament and the Commission had similar views on this issue. In this respect, he hoped to give priority to the amendments that significantly improved the programme. The Commission would continue to develop the programme from a legislative perspective and would present a communication on the principle of mainstreaming. The ‘Anima’ technical assistance unit would assist with the implementation of the programme. However, the amendment on the autonomous collection of statistics could not be taken over as its substantial financial costs would encroach upon the programme’s limited budget; it could perhaps receive support from Eurostat. Finally, Mr Flynn confirmed that he would support the negotiation in the IGC of a specific legal basis in the social field, and in particular for equal opportunities.

  • T4-0572/1995 summary

    In adopting the report by Mrs BENNASAR TOUS (EPP, E), Parliament approved the Fourth Programme of equal opportunities for men and women, with the following amendments: - Parliament recommended that the programme should be designed: . to incorporate the principle of equality of opportunities in the drawing up and implementation of all policies and measures applied at both Community and State level; . to develop and strengthen the monitoring and implementation of directives in all the Member States as well as to direct positive actions which seek to reduce the degree of inequality and discrimination against women. The programme has six objectives: . to monitor and implement Community legislation in this area, . to inform all the social representatives of the inequalities which exist and to promote a change in mentality, . to promote equality by taking account of the most vulnerable women, . to stimulate a policy of reconciliation between family life and professional life by taking account of the implications in respect of taxation and social security; . to promote equality between men and women in decision making; . to reinforce the policy of integrating women in all measures and policies relating to the economy, social security, culture, etc. The different objectives are incorporated in the concrete actions to be taken within the framework of the programme. Among the actions which are eligible under the programme, Parliament proposed the support and implementation of Community legislation in the Member States, the carrying out of integrated research into all issues relating to women's inequality and the integration of women, the exchange of information (taking account of regional and local differences and seeking to reach the specific target audience), the setting up of a data base collating statistics and studies on women's representation, and the coordination of information on equal opportunities between Community institutions. - In the context of budget transparency, Parliament called for complementarity to be encouraged both through existing actions and through the measures being proposed within the framework of the International Women's Conference held in Pekin; - programme activities which are open to non-member countries are to be cofinanced under the PHARE and MEDA programmes; - there was a call for the participation of all representatives from civil society who are involved in this area (NGOs, etc.); - as regards information, Parliament asked to be kept up to date each year on the actions taken under this programme from 1996 on. To this effect it was to receive an interim report detailing the programme's deficiencies and successes. A final report is planned for 31.03.2001. At the same time, Parliament drew attention to the fact that: . it was essential to monitor the application of Community legislation in order to have real equality of treatment, . the principle of equality should be incorporated in the Treaty on European Union such that the concept of equal rights would be applied not only in the economic field but also in the political, social and cultural sectors, . the legal basis for the programme should be revised in order that Parliament might be more actively involved, . the economic crisis tended mainly to affect women rather than men, and that women should have a greater and more effective involvement in the employment sector, . organisations and business undertakings should adopt a new social contract between men and women. �

• 1995/11/13 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0280/1995
• 1995/10/09 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• #1872
• 1995/10/05 Council Meeting
  • 1872 summary

    The Council held a policy debate on the proposal for a decision on a Fourth Programme on equal opportunities for men and women. It covered the following points in particular: - the objectives of the programme; - the incorporation of the principle of equality between men and women in all policies and programmes (mainstreaming); - the respective roles of the Community and the Member States. The delegations spoke favourably of the principle underlying the programme. Many felt, however, that important aspects of it should be made more specific. At that stage one delegation maintained a reservation on the legal basis proposed by the Commission, namely Article 235 of the Treaty. The same delegation also doubted that certain actions proposed would be compatible with the principle of subsidiarity. On the conclusion of the debate the President noted that: - the delegations felt that this sort of programme would give new momentum to action in this area; - the objectives, among which ‘mainstreaming’ was considered essential, were adequate although they should be made more specific; - the legal difficulty that had emerged must be examined in greater depth. The Presidency confirmed its intention of having the Fourth Programme approved at the Council’s December meeting on Labour and Social Affairs in order to ensure continuity of action in this field.

• 1995/07/19 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1995)0381 summary

    OBJECTIVE: establishment of a Fourth medium-term action programme for Community reflection and exchange concerning all initiatives that promote equal opportunities between men and women in the Union and its Member States. SUBSTANCE: The Fourth framework programme promoting equal opportunities is scheduled to run for five years (1 January 1996 - 31 December 2000) and aims to promote the integration of equal opportunities in the drawing-up, implementation and monitoring of all policies, measures and actions applied at Community, national, regional and local level. - It has the following six priority objectives: . to mobilise representatives from the economic and social sectors with a view to achieving equal opportunities; . to promote equal opportunities in a changing economy; . to reconcile the family life and professional life of men and women; . to promote equal participation of men and women in decision-making; . to strengthen the conditions for the exercise of equal rights; . to support the implementation, monitoring and assessment of actions designed to achieve the above objectives. - The programme is to achieve these objective by way of the following measures: . methodological, technical and financial support for projects which facilitate the development of good practice in the economy and industry, the reconciliation of family and professional life and the participation of women in politics; . the monitoring of relevant policies together with studies on the economic, legal and social aspects of equality; . the monitoring of actions implemented under the programme; . the exchange of information and experience acquired at Community level concerning equal pay and equal treatment as well as the results of the actions undertaken. - The actions must be consistent with those carried out under the Structural Funds and other Community measures associated with professional training. - The Commission is proposing to implement this programme in conjunction with the Member States and all interested parties. In particular, it will consult the Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men. - Part of the initiatives provided for in the programme shall be open to the EEA countries, the associated CEECs, Cyprus, Malta and certain other Mediterranean countries which are in partnership with the Union. - An interim report will be drawn up on the implementation of the programme, to be followed by a final report. - In the financial statement annexed to the proposal, the Commission envisages allocating a total of ECU 60 million for the implementation of the programme over five years. �

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1995)0381
• Debate in Council: 1872
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0280/1995
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0572/1995
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1995)0602
• : Decision 1995/593
• : OJ L 335 30.12.1995, p. 0037

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)