Equal Opportunities in the EU – Prospects for Cyprus, Cyprus

I feel great joy and honor to be in Cyprus, invited by the Cyprus Federation of Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals, the organization that has developed such extensive activity to strengthen the role of women in the business world and to capitalize on the new opportunities offered by Cyprus’s forthcoming accession to the European Union. I would particularly like to thank the president of the Federation, Mrs. Artemis Toumazis, for the invitation and at the same time congratulate her for her enthusiasm, initiatives, and dedication to the cause of promoting women’s rights.

I know that significant progress has been made in recent years. The participation of women in Cyprus’s workforce, which was 30% in 1976, has now reached 40%, while 56.7% of women aged 15 to 64 are employed. Their participation in education is also similar, with continuous strengthening of their qualifications and educational level. Also significant is the recent adoption of a legislative framework to combat domestic violence against women, which includes satisfactory provisions for the protection of victims and their financial and psychological support. Furthermore, the doubling of the number of women in Parliament in the recent elections, although still extremely low, marks the new trends and changes taking place.

Cyprus today shows particularly great progress in adopting the European acquis communautaire and is the first and best among the list of countries to join, as it fully meets the political and economic criteria set by the European Council of Copenhagen. Cyprus will join the European Union with the first group of states. At the same time, we are working toward resolving the political problem. In any case, the decisions of Helsinki stand, and based on this “acquis,” Greece will use all the institutional tools provided by the Treaty. As you know, the European Parliament has also adopted the very positive report on Cyprus by Luxembourg MEP Mr. Poos. Of course, when referring to Cyprus’s European perspective, I cannot fail to mention with emotion the architect of Cyprus’s accession process, the late Yiannos Kranidiotis.

The Enlargement of the Union is an irreversible historical choice; it is an indispensable condition for the consolidation of stability, democracy, peace, and prosperity on the European continent. Today, Europe, after approximately 50 years of successful progress, faces a double challenge: a) the enlargement of the number of member states, and b) its evolution into a political union. The dialogue on the future of Europe has already begun, and since February 28, 2002, the work of the Constitutional Assembly has been underway to propose the necessary institutional changes. It seems that the vision of a political union with a federal structure and strong international presence is gaining the majority of support both from the Assembly and from civil society. The recent developments in Europe, with the strengthening of far-right ideologies, xenophobia, and racism, make it imperative to accelerate the processes of European integration. Vigilance, solidarity, and struggle are needed to safeguard the values upon which the EU was built.

In this interesting political landscape, women are seeking their modern role and demanding equal participation in shaping the future. European integration cannot be achieved without the participation of women, half of the population, in building Europe, under the same terms and conditions as those of men. The European Union and its member states have, on many occasions, expressed their commitment and full dedication to achieving gender equality at the international, European, and national levels. Therefore, equal representation of women and men in the discussions and decisions of the Constitutional Assembly, which is preparing the Treaty reforms in light of the Enlargement, should be the natural result of those commitments and the democratic values promoted by the Union.

Unfortunately, this has not happened. Out of the total 105 members of the Assembly, only 15 women participate.

In a letter I sent to Mr. Giscard d’Estaing, on behalf of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, I expressed our deep disappointment with the composition of the Assembly, and with the fact that the principle of democracy and equality was not respected. This is a live example of what happens when the rules concerning balanced representation of women and men are not binding.

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament, in a special session on May 22, 2002, with the participation of members of the Assembly, discussed positions and proposals that would strengthen the institutional framework for gender equality in the new Treaty, such as:

-Strengthening the legal basis so that gender equality is secured in practice and in all areas of economic, political, and social life
Explicit prohibition of any discrimination based on gender
Introduction of a new measure in the Treaty stating that balanced participation of women and men at all levels is mandatory in the composition of the assemblies, bodies, and institutions of the Union.

Women and the values of women cannot be marginalized in the process of building the future of Europe. It is essential to enshrine gender equality in the Treaty so that it provides the legal tools to implement it.

As regards the pre-accession dialogue, it is recognized that the principle of equality between men and women is an essential prerequisite for accession, as it is fundamentally a human rights issue. The required building of institutions or the strengthening of institutional and administrative capacity in this area is a crucial condition for the full implementation of the acquis.

It is a fact that the recognition of the human and political rights of women is a very recent history. The emergence of half of the human species, the female, from the marginalization and obscurity of centuries, the mass participation of women in public life, education, and economic activities, the changes in the roles of both sexes and in the structure of the family, is, according to sociologists, the greatest peaceful social revolution in the history of humanity.

The contribution of the EU to the promotion of equal opportunities over the past 50 years has been decisive. Since its establishment, the European Community, with the Treaty of Rome (1957), had institutionalized the principle of equal pay for women and men. Subsequently, a series of legislative provisions were adopted, aimed at ensuring equal rights of access to employment, professional training, working conditions, and social protection. A significant strengthening of the legal basis for promoting women’s rights was achieved with the signing of the Amsterdam Treaty in October 1997, where gender equality was defined as a goal of the EU. The Community emphasizes its intention to eliminate inequalities and promote gender equality in the areas of employment and social protection.

Since the 1980s, the Community has been implementing a series of five-year special action programs in an effort to move from formal and official equality to substantive and functional equality.

The 5th Annual Action Program, the new framework strategy of the Community for equality, which came into effect in 2000, was proposed by the European Commission following the initiative of the Greek Commissioner Mrs. Anna Diamantopoulou and refers to the principle of “gender mainstreaming.” According to this principle, the promotion of equality is not simply the implementation of positive measures targeted at women, but measures aimed at readjusting the organization of society and achieving a fair distribution of obligations and responsibilities between men and women in all areas of economic, social, and political life.

The new framework strategy defines five goals:

Equality in economic life
Equal representation and participation in decision-making
Equality in social rights
Equality in citizens’ rights
Changing gender roles and overcoming stereotypes

The strategy is applied not only to policies directly related to EU citizens but also to the EU’s dealings with third countries, through the Enlargement process and external relations in general. At the same time, a program is being developed through which 50 million euros are allocated to finance measures for raising awareness on equality issues and creating networks that will connect the EU institutions, national authorities, social partners, and NGOs.

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament, of which I have the honor to be president since January 21, 2002, consists of 40 regular members, and its responsibility is the continuous monitoring of issues such as:

– The design, development, and implementation of policies for women’s rights in the EU, as well as the strengthening of related policies in third countries
– The integration and further expansion of the principle of mainstreaming in all areas
– The foundation and evaluation of all policies and programs for women
– The continuous monitoring of the implementation of international agreements and conventions related to women’s rights (United Nations, International Labour Organization)
– The policy of raising awareness on women’s rights issues
– The policy of equal opportunities for men and women in relation to opportunities in the labor market.

During the last parliamentary term, the Committee on Women’s Rights has published 20 Reports, which draw attention to and demand action in areas of crucial importance for women, such as the fight against violence and sexual exploitation of women, equal pay for men and women for equal work, women’s participation in politics, the impact of religious extremism on gender equality, etc. In particular, our Committee has insisted on the implementation of decisive aspects of the Community’s policy, such as balanced participation of men and women in all decision-making centers and addressing violence.

At the level of the European Parliament, the number of female Members of Parliament in the last parliamentary term stands at 31% (out of 626 Members of the European Parliament, 194 are women), while five out of the twenty members of the European Commission are women. Greece ranks second to last with a percentage of 16%. At the national level, the Scandinavian countries have achieved significant performance, with Sweden leading the way.

It is now clear that, despite serious resistance, a new consciousness and a new political will are developing in Europe so that gender equality includes all relationships—social, economic, and political. It is certain that none of the challenges of our time can be addressed without the participation, the contribution of ideas, and the abilities of women.

The participation of women in politics and in the planning of the future, at all levels of decision-making, is an imperative need for the following reasons:
STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY:
Democracy is based on the participation of all citizens in the processes of shaping and making decisions. Women make up 51% of the population, work and are educated just like men, and are entitled to equal political representation.

IMPLEMENTATION IN PRACTICE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER EQUALITY AS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT:
This right should be translated into a fair distribution of responsibilities in both the private and public spheres, the elimination of the gender division of labor, and the overcoming of the historical exclusion of women from political life.

ENRICHMENT OF POLITICS WITH DIVERSE EXPERIENCES, INTERESTS, AND VALUE SYSTEMS:
The historical exclusion of women from public life has resulted in women acquiring different experiences, interests, and value systems. In a democratic society, political decisions should reflect the interests and concerns of all citizens.

UTILIZATION OF VALUABLE HUMAN RESOURCES:
Women make up half of the global pool of human resources, skills, and talents. The poor presence of women in political decision-making centers means poverty and deprivation for the country due to the underutilization of the human resources it possesses.

RENEWAL OF POLITICS AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES – NEW POLITICAL CULTURE
Women, primarily for cultural reasons, are carriers of different ideas, values, and behaviors that align more with the social reality and political climate of the late 20th century.

In this context, I would like to share and conclude with what a distinguished man, Francis Fukuyama, wrote in a recent article titled “If Women Ruled the World”: “It could now be considered certain that the greater involvement of women in politics would lead to a world less attached to violence. While Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, may have been a female role model for the ancients, in today’s world, female influence has a decisive effect against militarism and in favor of peace.”

The women of Cyprus, Greece, and Europe want and can build a federal, democratic, and prosperous Union, a European continent founded on the values of democracy, freedom, peace, equality, justice, and solidarity.