Social Europe - Supplement

European Commission Directorate-General For Employment Social Affairs And Inclusion

Description

New technology and social change - Ten years of Community policy on equal opportunities for men and women
Fundamental rights
Employment policy

Informations

• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-EMPLOYMENT_SOCIAL-AFFAIRS-AND-INCLUS
• Nombre de lectures: 18
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

New technology and social
change —
Ten years of Community policy
on equal opportunities
for men and women
UROP
SUPPLEMENT 2/86 UROP SOCIAL
EUROPE
New technology and social
change —
Ten years of Community policy
on equal opportunities
for men and women
SUPPLEMENT #86
COMMISSION OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND EDUCATION This publication is also available in the following languages:
DE ISBN 92-825-6238-7
FR ISBN 92-825-6240-9
The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect either the position or views of the Commission
of the European Communities.
Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1986
© ECSC-EEC-EAEC, Brussels—Luxembourg, 1986
Reproduction is authorized, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged.
Catalogue number: CE-NC-86-002-EN-C
ISBN 92-825-6239-5
Printed in Belgium 19 7 5 - 19 8 5
TEN YEARS OF COMMUNITY POLICY ON
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEN
AND WOMEN CONTENTS
Page
FOREWORD
Jean DEGIMBE .1
PART ONE : SITUATION AND PROSPECTS
Ten years on community policy on equal treatment
Odile QUINTIN 7
The world conference closing the United Nations Decade for Women
Isabelle PRONDZYNSKI 29
Community structures responsible for promoting equal opportunities
Odile QUINTIN 37
European Parliament activities to assist women
Marlene LENZ 43
Equal Opportunities for women - Medium term community
programme 1986-1990
Odile QUINTIN 54
PART TWO : SOME SPECIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Why information for women?
Fausta DESHORMES 71
Positive measures
Marie-Josée RAETSEN6
Local initiatives - Women's initiatives?
Sarah EVANS 88
Lomé III and women
Andrée VANDERHAEGHE 93
Implementation of equality of opportunities within the Commission
of the European Communities
Philippe LOIR7
PART THREE : LEGAL ASPECTS
Equal pay
Jean BOUDARD 10
Equal treatment in matters of social security
André LAURENT 117
Some examples of commission intervention on equality
Gerassimos ZORBAS 121 -
FOREWORD
Equal treatment is the subject of several legal instruments adopted
as early as 1975 by the Council, at the proposal of the Commission.
Three Directives on equal pay, equal treatment in working conditions
and equal treatment in social security matters make up the Community
triptych on equal treatment. It can be said without fear of contradiction
that, where equal treatment is concerned, there is no more complete
model than that created by the Community.
The Commission, as guardian of the Treaty, has on several occasions
had to safeguard the rules and objectives of Community law by having
recourse to legal action through Article 169 of the Treaty establishing
the European Economic Community.
It continues and will continue to ensure that the Directives are
effectively applied, especially as the present economic situation could
give rise to discrimination against women. The Council indeed stated
in its Resolution of 12 July 1982, which accompanied the adoption of
the action programme for women 1982-1985, that the economic situation
should not be a reason for discrimination.
In June 1984, the Council adopted a Resolution on action to combat
unemployment amongst women and in December 1984, it adopted a
Recommendation on the promotion of positive action for women.
It is worth noting that the Commission was criticized by the groups
concerned, by the European Parliament and the Economic and Social
Committee, for having failed, in regard to certain subjects and
particularly in respect of positive action, to propose binding instruments
which alone ensure that the right of men and women to equal treatment
is fully respected (this right has frequently been upheld by the
Court of Just i ce). It is now for the Member States to show that the flexible, adaptable
approach which resulted in the two Decisions can produce tangible
results and real progress. Commitments have been made, and a series
of actions and measures planned: they now have to be implemented.
The Commission yiLL actively play its part by providing
the encouragement, exchanges of experience and follow-up provided for
in the Decisions. It plans to draw up a guide to good practices,
based on experiments conducted in Member and non-Member States, to
help promoters of positive measures, in, part icular at the workplace.
The commission does not intend to rest on its laurels in this area. In
the last three years, we have presented the Council with three proposals
for directives, all of them fulfilling a real need among our citizens,
and among women in particular. The Council is currently discussing
the proposals.
The earliest proposal (April 1983) concerns equal treatment in
occupational social security schemes and is expressly provided for in
the preceding Directive of 1978 on equal treatment in statutory social
security schemes, which it supplements.
The second proposal for a directive on parental leave and leave for
family reasons is aimed at harrronizing existing measures in this
area. Eight Community countries already have provisions on parental
leave which in most cases go further than the minimum entitlement laid
down by the Directive.
The third proposal for a directive concerns the application of the
principle of equal treatment as between men and women engaged in an
activity, including agriculture, in a self-employed capacity, and on
the protection of self-employed women. It is intended to provide
spouses who work and have no occupational status with certain rights
and to ensure thatd men and women are treated equally.