Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-01-20-Speech-4-222"
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"en.20000120.13.4-222"2
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"Mr President, in presenting this communication, the Commission wished to take a strong political initiative on the subject of the place of women in research. I am pleased to note that this initiative has been very warmly welcomed by Parliament, which I should like to thank for the important role that it plays in the “women and science” debate. The motion for a resolution that we are discussing today largely supports the guidelines drawn up by the Commission. This encouragement is very significant.
However, the subject of women and science comes within the broader context of research policy in the Union. As I already said to the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy, the aim is to develop a political strategy to create a European research area. The Commission has just adopted a communication to this effect on 18 January. The creation of such an area will make it easier to harness the potential represented by women scientists and to take up the common challenge of the under-representation of women in research.
The Commission is aware of the debate on the quota principle in the matter of women’s participation in general. This debate is also, of course, evolving with regard to the participation of women in scientific research. The Commission has not chosen the mandatory quota approach, as it prefers that of quantitative participation objectives, linked to follow-up and evaluation. The Commission considers that this approach will make it possible to progress the participation of women, while respecting the principle of scientific excellence. Mrs McNally’s report, which was adopted unanimously by the Committee on Women’s Rights, supports the guidelines of the Commission, whose aim is to achieve at least 40% female participation in certain aspects of the implementation of the fifth framework programme. This support is important. Already, the presence of women is 26% in the advisory groups and 24% in the monitoring and evaluation panels, which represents considerable progress compared to the fourth framework programme. There is still work to be done, however, but I feel we are going in the right direction.
Mrs McNally also recommends that the impact studies on gender in the specific programmes of the fifth framework programme be taken into account for the sixth framework programme. The Commission has already published the call for tenders in respect of these studies. The Commission will evaluate the tenders received. The results of these studies will make it possible to draw up the guidelines for the sixth framework programme.
However, the promotion of equal opportunities goes beyond the simple framework of the Community research programmes and I understand Parliament’s concern to see this matter taken into account in the other policies of the Union. The Commission is already taking action in this regard and will continue to do so, for example, in the context of guidelines for employment, the fourth pillar and in the regulations on the Structural Funds.
In its reform project outlined in a White Paper, the Commission sets the objective of a broad balance in the representation of the sexes in all fields and at all hierarchical levels. Mrs McNally suggests an examination of the reasons for the gap between the number of women with degrees in science and the number ultimately exercising a profession in these fields. A number of speakers have referred to this. The reasons for this gap are complex and the report published recently by the ETAM experts deals with this question. It is important to continue the analysis in more detail in order to better identify the obstacles and ways to overcome them.
In this regard, the implementation of the action plan presented in the communication is also being actively pursued and the report by the ETAM experts, which Mrs Sorensen reported on so aptly, which was presented on 23 November, in the presence of Members of Parliament, including Mrs McNally, reviews the under-representation of women in research. This report, which was written by independent experts, is a very useful tool for encouraging discussion and coming up with specific measures."@en1
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