Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-13-Speech-2-179"
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"en.20070313.20.2-179"2
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".
Mr President, honourable Members, five years have passed since the European Council set targets for pre-school childcare availability in the context of the European Employment Strategy. In March 2002, the European Council of Barcelona agreed that Member States should strive to provide childcare by 2010 to at least 90% of all children between three years old and the mandatory age for starting school, and at least 33% of all children under three years of age, in an effort to remove disincentives to female labour participation.
The European Council reiterated the need to achieve these targets in the European Pact for Gender Equality adopted in March 2006. These targets are a long way from being met, however. The provision of affordable, accessible and quality childcare is vital if Europe is to meet its agendas of growth, employment and gender equality. Childcare is needed to unleash the productive potential of the European workforce. It allows women and men with young children to enter and stay in paid employment, while improving their quality of life. It eliminates a major constraint that restricts the free choice of individuals to reconcile their professional and private lives. It also offers children an excellent start in life.
Accessible, high-quality childcare is a vital prerequisite to achieving genuine gender equality. Women continue to carry most of the responsibility for the care of children. At the same time, women are affected by the gender gaps that persist in employment, unemployment and pay. The provision of decent and widely accessible childcare contributes to the economic independence of women. It also gives single parents, most of whom are women, the opportunity to improve their living conditions. Childcare also contributes to addressing the demographic challenge of a falling birth rate, by supporting the individual choices of women and men, including decisions on the number of children they wish to have. If affordable, accessible and quality childcare is provided, having more children will not hinder labour market participation.
The Commission is committed to supporting the achievement of the Barcelona goals. In last year’s roadmap for achieving equality between women and men in 2006-2010, the Commission committed itself to supporting the achievement of the Barcelona targets on childcare and the development of other care facilities through the Structural Funds and the exchange of good practice. The current rules for the Structural Funds already allowed for this use. In this context, the Commission pointed out that services and structures are adapting too slowly to a situation where both women and men work and where women continue to be regarded as the main carers of children and other dependants.
The implementation of the Barcelona targets is monitored in the framework of the Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs. The Annual Progress Report in December noted that while there has been some progress in Member States to develop childcare facilities, progress towards the Barcelona targets remains slow. The Commission has therefore invited Member States to focus in 2007 on ‘increasing the availability and affordability of quality childcare in line with their own national targets’.
In the Annual report on gender equality for 2006 published last month, the Commission pointed out that Member States should step up their efforts to meet the Barcelona targets and support the development of care for older and disabled persons. It also underlined the qualitative aspect of childcare and the fact that families and parents working on a full-time basis require appropriate opening hours and flexible access.
The Commission welcomes the establishment of an Alliance for Families, which was announced in the conclusions of the European Council. The ‘Alliance for Families’ will serve as a platform for the exchange of views and knowledge on family-friendly policies as well as of best practices between Member States. The Commission also invited Member States to make full use of the potential offered by the Cohesion Policy to support the promotion of equality between women and men, including improving access to affordable childcare, through programmes cofinanced by the Structural Funds.
The Commission believes that childcare should be viewed as an essential part of a comprehensive approach to reconciling work and private life. Men should be encouraged to take an equal share of family responsibilities, in particular through incentives to take leave entitlements and by developing innovative and adaptable work patterns. The need for care services for school-age children and other dependant persons should also be addressed. I am pleased to announce today that I intend to submit, in 2008, a Communication on Childcare in which I will make concrete proposals to increase the availability, quality and affordability of childcare. We believe that this will be an important stimulus to Member States to meet the Barcelona targets."@en1
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