EWL supports new European Pact for Gender Equality

proposed by six Member States in view of the Spring Council

 

In view of the European Spring Council of 23-24.03.2006, six Member States of the European Union (Sweden, France, Spain, Finland, the Czech Republic and Denmark) have proposed a new European Pact for Gender Equality to the Austrian Presidency of the EU. The Pact for Gender Equality should serve “to enhance women’s participation in the labour market and to promote equality between women and men. The Pact should build on already existing objectives, targets and instruments within the Lisbon process, the integrated guidelines for growth and jobs, and the Roadmap for future EU gender equality policies”.

 

The Pact should 1) contribute to fulfilling EU ambitions on gender equality in the treaty (Article 2 and Article 3(2) of the EC Treaty), 2) facilitate the full use of the productive potential of the European labour force and close the gender gaps in employment and social protection and 3) meet the demographic challenges by promoting better work-life balance for women and men. The Pact contains measures to close gender gaps and combat gender stereotypes in the labour market, to promote a better work-life balance for all and to reinforce governance through gender mainstreaming and better monitoring.

 

Member States that proposed the Pact hope to see it included in the Conclusions of the Spring Council of March 2006, but in order for this to be achieved, the Pact needs to be endorsed by all Member States. EWL strongly supports this initiative and has written to the Member States that have not yet endorsed the Pact to ask tem to fully support it.