Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-08-Speech-2-046"
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"en.20050308.6.2-046"2
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"Thank you for the debate, I think it was very profound. The fundamental fact remains that the European Union considers equal opportunities between men and women, and equality between men and women, to be one of the key political values that it upholds. We have made considerable headway in this field, but we cannot afford to stop now. The legislative base is relatively solid. This does not mean it cannot be developed further, but the key problem can actually be found in insufficient implementation. This is a matter we must focus on. It is quite clear that at one end of the scale of disparity between the pay of men and women, there are countries where this gap is 6%, while at the other end of the scale there are countries where the difference is 27%. These are absolutely unwarranted disparities, and it is up to us to make the corresponding effort to combat this situation.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to return to 8 March once more. This day highlights the decades of efforts which, in the face of difficulty, have resulted in progress at least in some areas of the world, in fact I am sure that in all areas of the world, but by different means. It is a symbol of the efforts we are now making and which we will experience in the future, because it is a symbol of the effort to achieve an ideal, and an ideal is always very difficult to achieve. We can but do our best to come closer to the ideal, and this Commission has five years to take action, which must be quantifiable. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you.
It is absolutely clear that special issues are violence against women and trafficking in human beings. The group of Commissioners for human rights considers this issue to be one of its most fundamental tasks, and I expect that we will be able to make progress in this respect. It is a palpable matter, a challenge for us, and there is no time to lose.
Several times in the discussion the brutal intervention by the police against demonstrators in Istanbul, Turkey, has been mentioned. The European Commission responded immediately; it rejected the use of undue coercion, and I noted with a certain satisfaction (although we must reserve judgment at this point in time) that the Turkish side decided to launch an investigation into this action. I believe that this is an important illustration of how influential the European Union is, and that it is an important example of a case where our efforts have helped the position of women in a context broader than the confines of Europe.
There can be no doubting the fact that mainstreaming remains a key issue, and it must be applied thoroughly; it is also clearly correct to continue a policy of developing the concept of gender budgeting, which, while still in its infancy, has already made gratifying advances in certain countries.
Ladies and gentlemen, the role of women in the success of the European project in general, and for the success of the Lisbon Strategy in particular, is indispensable. I have clearly spoken about the fact that a society which does not make full use of the potential of all its members is unable to hold its ground in the face of global competition, so let us go back to my opening words, that is, the issue of equality is a profound matter and we must strive for this equality even if we were not to derive any secondary, perhaps economic, benefit from it. The establishment of a new institution will ensure transparency and will also provide professional answers to a whole number of questions which have been asked but which have not yet been adequately resolved. It will also evaluate and assess the techniques and procedures we have chosen that have often resulted in a certain progress but which have not provided a complete climax.
The situation of women on the labour market has been debated. There is no doubt that the proportion of women actively involved in the labour market has increased during the monitoring of the Lisbon Strategy. On the other hand, it is also evident that the total proportion is insufficient for us to achieve the Lisbon objectives.
Ladies and gentlemen, equality between men and women is a concept; it is a political concept, a concept of values. It is a concept which has been observed for decades; International Women’s Day did not start ten years ago, it did not start today. It is part of the conscious efforts by people to achieve a certain value that we consider to be profound and self-evident. These efforts must not end, we can never be satisfied with the progress we have made, because as the world changes the problems will change, and we will be faced with new challenges. One of them is the demographic ageing of society, another is the balance between family life and working life, yet another, mentioned by several others here, is a deeper understanding on the part of our men within the framework of ordinary social customs. We have a long way to go.
There has also been a debate on a European Day Against Violence Against Women. Again, I stress that violence against any human being is repulsive and it is the obligation of the European project and the European Union to seek out effective ways of preventing such violence. Violence against women is violence which truly exists on an enormous scale in our society, and we cannot remain indifferent; we must use all means available to us.
One issue in the debate was whether it was more effective to declare a European Year Against Violence in 2006, considering that 2004 was a global year against violence, or to declare it at a time which is still open to discussion and which would ensure it carried greater weight and greater conclusiveness. This is the question; the point is not violence as such, because, as I have said, this is one of the key agendas which has been adopted by the current Commission and which it believes to be important, and which, I hope, we can fulfil as we strive to make progress."@en1
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