European Commission Work Programme for 2003

Session of Wednesday, November 20, 2002

Legislative programme and work programme of the European Commission for 2003

Mr. President, Mr. President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioners, the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, which I have the honor to preside over, welcomes the Commission’s initiative to begin a more cohesive and comprehensive process of political planning.

The Women’s Committee had the opportunity to participate in the structured dialogue with two Commissioners, Mrs. Anna Diamantopoulou and Mr. Antonio Vitorino, with whom we had a very constructive dialogue and on many points reached a convergence of views and positions. Based on this positive experience, I was surprised and puzzled to find not a single word on gender equality in the Commission’s work programme for 2003. Mrs. Diamantopoulou, in the meeting she had with our committee in early October, assured us that the gender equality policy is a priority for the Commission, and we have no reason to doubt this, since, as is well known, every year the Women’s Committee has the unique privilege of being invited to a half-day meeting with the President of the Commission, Mr. Prodi, and ten Commissioners, to discuss the specific issue of gender equality.

2003 is an important year for the Women’s Committee as well. The first priority is the Convention on the Future of Europe, and we have invested a lot of time and energy to ensure that the new Treaty will promote gender equality. The second priority is the implementation, not just the adoption, of the European acquis on women’s rights in the candidate countries. Third, gender mainstreaming, and of course, much remains to be done in our own house. Nevertheless, I welcome the initiative to present, at the Spring Summit under the Greek Presidency, the annual report from the Commission on the progress of gender equality.

Another major priority is ensuring a balanced representation of genders in the 2004 European Parliament elections. The European Parliament and the Commission should set the standard for other institutions as well. Finally, I express my concern and worry over the continuous delays of the proposal for a new directive to combat gender discrimination, based on Article 13 of the Treaty. Is there any progress on this issue?