Soroptimist Women’s Union, Priorities & Policy of the Women’s Committee of the E.C.

I feel particularly happy and honored to be here today, invited by the Soroptimist Union of Greece, an organization that has developed such significant activity for the empowerment of women and holds a “SPECIAL” Advisory Status at the Economic and Social Council of the UN. I would particularly like to thank the President of the organization, Mrs. Popi Athanasiou, for the invitation and at the same time congratulate her for her enthusiasm, initiatives, and dedication to the cause of advancing women’s rights.

The topic of your conference is extremely interesting for Greece, as well as for the entire EU, which places particular importance on multifaceted cooperation with the Mediterranean countries. The Barcelona Conference (27-28 November 1995) marked the beginning of a new era for bilateral, multilateral, and local cooperation (the well-known Barcelona process). Euro-Mediterranean cooperation offers a unique opportunity to create a space of security, peace, cooperation, and prosperity through the gradual establishment of free trade and the promotion of principles and ideas that respect and promote human rights. Within this framework, the rights of women in the Mediterranean countries and gender equality acquire particular significance.

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities of the European Parliament, of which I have the honor of being the president, has contributed greatly to shaping European policy on equality. The Committee has worked on significant reports in the first half of this year, which are of particular interest to the women of the Mediterranean and were adopted by the plenary of the European Parliament. I am primarily referring to the excellent report by Mrs. Rodi Kratsa on the rights of women in the Mediterranean countries, the European Union’s policy, and the role of women within the framework of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation (Mrs. Kratsa will present her report to you herself).

In the same spirit is the report by Spanish MEP Mrs. María Izquierdo Rojo on the topic “Women and Fundamentalism.” Modern forms of fundamentalism have had a huge negative impact on women’s emancipation efforts and are one of the sources of violations of women’s fundamental rights and freedoms.

With the report by MEP Mrs. Elena Valenciano, we proposed measures against female genital mutilation and denounced the barbarity of this “traditional practice,” which is carried out on millions of women, primarily in Africa.

The commercialization of women is another form of violence against women, which has particularly concerned the Committee on Women’s Rights. In a related report by the Committee, we demanded that, given that the commercialization of women is an unbearable violation of fundamental rights, the fight against this new form of slavery in modern society should become the Community’s top priority for action.

I would like to remind you that, with the initiative of the Committee on Women’s Rights of the European Parliament, the European Campaign for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was organized in 1999, which led to a new community program, “DAPHNE,” that promotes preventive measures to address violence against children and women.

In another report by MEP Mrs. Van Lancker, the disappointing situation regarding the protection of rights related to reproductive functions, sexual health, and free access to safe reproductive healthcare was vividly described.

In the last session, two more reports from our Committee were adopted: the first refers to the “principle of integrating the gender equality dimension into development and cooperation,” and the second to the “Annual Report of the Commission on Gender Equality,” which assesses progress in areas where persistent inequalities prevail.

With the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty, our Committee has the responsibility to closely monitor the implementation of the principle “of combating inequalities and promoting gender equality” in every Community policy. This is what we call the “principle of integrating the gender equality dimension” (gender mainstreaming) into all policies.

This overview cannot be completed without my reference to the successful completion of our first genuine legislative intervention, which consists of the successful conclusion of negotiations between the Parliament and the Council for the revision of the 26-year-old directive on Equal Treatment of Men and Women in relation to employment, vocational training, and education (106/1976).

The new strategic framework of the Community for equality, which came into force in 2000, was proposed by the European Commission, by Commissioner Mrs. Anna Diamantopoulou, and is based on the logic of “mainstreaming.” It is encapsulated in the fifty-fifth Annual Action Program for Gender Equality.

The next significant legislative step concerns the issuance of a new Directive within the next year, in accordance with Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty, which for the first time establishes the legal basis for combating discrimination in all areas, not just in the field of employment.

In this interesting political context, women are searching for their modern role and are claiming equal participation in shaping the future. European integration cannot be achieved without the involvement of women in building Europe. Unfortunately, in the selection of the representatives of the Constitutional Assembly, which discusses the reform of the institutions and the future of Europe, there was poor representation of women, with only 15 out of 105 members.

In a letter I sent to Mr. Giscard d’Estaing, on behalf of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities, I expressed our deep disappointment with the composition of the Assembly, for the fact that the principle of democratic equality was not respected.

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.

For the upcoming autumn, our Committee has scheduled a series of events, such as those on the Enlargement of the EU and Women’s Rights, breast cancer, the promotion of gender equality in the Constitutional Assembly, and more.

I would also like to emphasize that the tragic situation of women in countries such as Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan has highlighted some of the weaknesses in our foreign policy at the European Union level. The position of my Committee is that the fundamental rights of women should receive greater priority on the European Union’s agenda.

I would like to conclude by drawing your attention to the need to unite our efforts so that the new form the European Union will take after 2004 is much closer to our goals for the full establishment of the principle of gender equality. The Committee on Women’s Rights of the European Parliament is promoting gender equality issues in the ongoing discussions.

Thank you for your attention.