Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-04-Speech-1-077"
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"en.20090504.16.1-077"2
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"−
Mr President, 22 years after the vote on a text that was already aimed at ensuring equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self-employed capacity, including their assisting spouses, the Commission has at last submitted a new proposal to replace the ineffective and toned-down 1986 text, but it has done so using a more solid legal basis.
I should like to make it clear that this directive does not concern female self-employed workers, female assisting spouses or the partners of self-employed workers. Their specific situation will be examined within the framework of the new directive on equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self-employed capacity, which will be the subject of a report.
I should like first to mention a major improvement, namely that the establishment of a company between spouses or recognised life partners shall no longer be prohibited in any Member State. This is an effective way of improving the situation of assisting spouses, those millions of invisible workers employed in agriculture, craft occupations, commerce, SMEs and the liberal professions. Their fate has been a matter of concern for the European Parliament since the 1990s.
Unfortunately, the Commission’s proposal is still too weak on one essential point: the social security of assisting spouses and recognised life partners. Experience shows that, where assisting spouses have to take it upon themselves and apply to join a social security scheme, the large majority of them do not do so. None of these people realise that, in the event of divorce, often after more than 20 years of marriage and work in the family business, they will lose all welfare benefits, especially pension rights.
We also wish to retain the old provision concerning the recognition of the work of assisting spouses, in order to provide for compensation, notably in the case of divorce, where the assisting spouse is in a precarious situation after years of work for the family business.
Lastly, as regards maternity protection, we have found a formula that is best suited to the specific circumstances of female self-employed workers and assisting spouses. They must have the right to take maternity leave of the duration of their choice, provided that the total length does not exceed that specified in the Directive on female workers.
Those are the amendments that we feel are most important in order to prevent the publication of another diluted directive, which will not enable us to guarantee equal treatment between men and women in this area.
We have been informed of a dozen amendments tabled by Mr Cocilovo, on behalf of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, which concern the definition of assisting spouses and life partners. I am a little surprised, since, in the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, we – and here I refer to all of the groups – had agreed to abide by the definitions contained within the Commission’s proposal, which is legally sound and acceptable to everyone, to the effect that assisting spouses should also be understood to mean the life partners of self-employed workers recognised by national law.
This definition is clear; it is precise. Why table amendments that are vague and legally unsound? I call on the ALDE Group to withdraw these amendments. I assume that there is a misunderstanding between the shadow rapporteur of that group and Mr Cocilovo. I am working on this point at present.
The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality has unfortunately adopted another report containing 74 amendments, the majority of which have no direct link with the initial objective presented in the Commission’s proposal, which was to strengthen the foundation of maternity protection by improving the health and safety of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding."@en1
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