Montserrat Caballé

SESSION OF WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2001

Agenda

Karamanou (PSE). – Madam President, as we approach International Women’s Day next week, we are astonished by the extent of misogyny in 21st-century Europe, despite the European Union’s commitment to equality. The exclusion of the great artist Montserrat Caballé from a men-only group at the Liceu Opera in Barcelona cannot be considered an internal matter of the Opera; it is certainly a violation of the principle of gender equality and community legislation. Furthermore, this decision by the Opera harks back to times when access to the sciences and the arts was exclusively reserved for men, and it is an affront to all female artists and scientists. Therefore, I urge you, Madam President, not to let this sad phenomenon, this unfortunate decision, go unnoticed by our Parliament, and I kindly ask you to take appropriate initiative.