Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-12-Speech-2-321"
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"en.20061212.44.2-321"2
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"I should like to thank the honourable Member for her question concerning the Commission’s follow-up to the recommendation set out in the report on women’s networks, fishing, farming and diversification adopted by Parliament on 15 December 2005.
The Commission considers the situation of women working in the fisheries sector, and in particular their legal and social recognition, to be a very important issue. It is using all the instruments at its disposal to promote equal treatment and opportunities for women and men in the sector concerned.
As regards the four specific questions raised by the honourable Member, the Commission would like to point out the following.
Firstly, the European Fisheries Fund, which is the new structural instrument for fisheries for 2007-2013, explicitly states, in Article 4(g), that one of its objectives is to promote equality between men and women in the development of the fisheries sector and fisheries areas. The EFF is based on the principle of partnership with all stakeholders in the fisheries sector, and this explicitly covers partnership with bodies responsible for the promotion of equality between men and women. The EFF contains specific provisions promoting gender equality, both through better women’s representation in decision-making processes and in the programmes to be implemented by Member States. In particular, the Commission is encouraging participation by women in the various stages of implementation of the European Fisheries Fund, including the design, monitoring and evaluation of the Member States’ operational programmes for the next programming period.
The Fund can also support measures aimed at promoting equal opportunities between men and women through networking and the exchange of best practices among relevant organisations. The Commission will strive to ensure that Member States reflect these provisions and priorities in their operational programmes.
Secondly, the Commission recognises the importance of training in the fisheries sector, and education and professional training are eligible for support under the European Fisheries Fund. Training measures are also expected to promote access to employment for women. Moreover, under the Fund’s new priority axis 4 on the sustainable development of fisheries areas, support can be granted for the diversification of activities and the promotion of alternative employment for fishermen through a large variety of measures. Under this axis, special measures for the improvement of professional skills, work adaptability and access to employment for women can also be supported. It should be stressed that the Commission is promoting the involvement of women in the local bodies, managing the measures supported under axis 4.
Thirdly, as mentioned above, the EFF requires Member States to ensure broad and effective involvement of all relevant partners in the different stages of programming, and this includes bodies responsible for the promotion of equality between men and women. The Fund also requires the operational programmes to contain information on how the partnership principle has been implemented, the list of the parties that have been consulted, the results of those consultations and how they have been taken into account. The new priority axis 4 on sustainable development of fisheries areas, supported under the Fund, will be implemented through a bottom-up approach. It will be the local players, including women’s associations, that will serve as the engine for designing and implementing local development strategies. This allows women’s organisations to get involved in decision-making at the local level and ensure that their specific concerns and suggestions are taken into account in local development strategies. Women and their representatives are also encouraged to participate in the Regional Advisory Councils, which were set up to improve the governance of the reformed common fisheries policy. For instance, women’s associations already have a seat in the North Sea RAC, which was the first RAC to be formed. Women are also represented in the North Western Waters RAC.
Finally, in the present programming period, under the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance, Member States can co-finance studies and innovative projects covering the specific situation of women shellfish gatherers. This possibility is also offered under the European Fisheries Fund, under priority axis 3 on collective actions. The Commission has since 2003 been launching a series of calls for proposals for innovative actions in the fisheries sector. These actions are now almost completed. In 2005 the Commission conducted an ex-post evaluation of these actions in order to assess their impact and added value. The results of this evaluation showed clearly that such actions do not have an added value, whereas innovative actions included in, and financed through, the operational programmes of the Member States, were more successful and better monitored.
Taking into account these conclusions, the Commission decided to integrate the implementation of those actions into the European Fisheries Fund Regulation and to support their implementation through the operational programmes of the Member States."@en1
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