Conference of the Parliamentary Committees on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the EU Member States and of the European Parliament, Berlin 2000

On the occasion of their fourth annual conference on 17/18 November in Berlin, the members of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the European Union and European Parliament declare the following:

I. Continuation of the Network

Over the past four years the Network of Parliamentary Committees for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men in the Parliaments of the European Union and the European Parliament has worked successfully under the aegis of the fourth EU Action Programme. There is a need for the work of the Network not only to be continued, but also to be intensified and institutionalized within the Community's framework strategy (Document: In support of a Community framework strategy to promote equality between women and men (2001-2005) - Proposal for a decision by the Council on the supporting programme for the Community framework strategy to promote equality between women and men (2001-2005) COM.No. (00) 335 final. (RD No. 08638/00).

In addition to the existing participants, the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Council of Europe and the EEA will also participate in the Network with observer status.

II. Aims and Modus Operandi

1. Aims

The committees endorse the aims laid down in their Rules of Procedure of 30.10.1998.

The Network shall, in addition, establish the Forum of Equal Opportunities' Committees of the Parliaments of the EU Member States and the European Parliament and act as a motor for the implementation of equal opportunities through active integration policies and positive actions to promote equal opportunities for women and men.

The further individual aims of the Network are as follows:

to promote cooperation between the respective parliamentary committees of all EU countries, the European Parliament, the acceding countries and the EEA;
to monitor the work programme of the Commission and Council and bring influence to bear on political decisions relevant to equal opportunities;
to develop its own institutions for the promotion of women in so far as there is a majority decision in favour of so doing;
to develop common strategies to implement a policy of gender mainstreaming and promotion of women and bring influence to bear on decisions, e.g. intergovernmental conferences;
to promote communication and the exchange of information between parliamentary committees;
to promote a common communication strategy and working strategy;
to consult on topics of common and European interest;
to follow up equal opportunities' policies within the European Union;
to promote the development of equal opportunities' policies in parliaments in order to ensure that the European dimension is incorporated in the policies of the national committees and the role of the national committees is acknowledged at European level;
to carry out quantitative and qualitative research work on the role and activities of the parliamentary committees responsible for equal opportunities' issues in order to be able to assess on a scientific basis the mandate of these organs and the impact of their work;
to encourage activities in the individual member states with a view to speeding up actual implementation of gender mainstreaming in the policies of the individual member states;
to evaluate the implementation of the Amsterdam Treaty, particularly in the areas relevant to equal opportunities, Art. 2, 3.2, 12, 13,137.1 and 141, in member states;
to provide mutual support, particularly in respect of countries seeking accession to the EU, in introducing gender mainstreaming as a political practice, and to promote the principle of equal opportunities for women and men by filling decision-making bodies with equal numbers of men and women;
to develop and evaluate the necessary criteria to enable effective gender mainstreaming, including and in particular minimum standards in relation to infrastructure to be provided and minimum requirements in relation to the qualifications of gender experts;
to take appropriate preventive measures to avoid the particular obstacles created by the double burden of work and family.

2. Modus operandi

In principle the current modus operandi shall be retained.

In addition the members of the Network wish to create appropriate structures to facilitate greater continuity in the work of the Network.

A working group is to be set up to clarify the question of how such structures are to be constituted - whether, for example, a permanent secretariat should be created, what concrete tasks it should have and how it should be financed. The working group is to comprise the following members:

one female representative of the past presidency (Spain)
one female representative of the current presidency (Germany)
one female representative of the future presidency
one female representative of the European Parliament

The working group is commissioned to develop a proposal to this effect by the end of the first quarter of 2001 and to submit it to the other member states for approval.

III. Demands

The governments of the member states of the EU are urged to implement the above-named framework strategy.
The member states are further urged to support the implementation of the aims agreed within the framework of the UN Special General Assembly "Peking +5", in particular the following:
- increased representation of women in decision-making processes
- increased participation of women in the areas of conflict resolution and peacemaking
- practical implementation of the principle of "equal pay for equal work" and upgrading of the financial status of female occupations
- cessation of violence against women and children
- cessation of the trade in women
- equal participation of women in the areas of new technologies and information
- 50 per cent reduction by 2004 in the gap between the genders in relation to the jobs market, unemployment, pay and segregation
In accordance with the recommendations contained in the expertise submitted on "Job-finding processes for female young people and young women", the participants declare the following:
1. The participants call on the parliaments and governments of their countries to initiate measures to promote access for young women to occupations of importance for the future - not only in the technical area
2. In accordance with the principle of gender mainstreaming, programmes and measures to improve the opportunities of girls and women in training and professional life must be regarded as a matter of course and not as a special programme to make good a deficit
3. More specific research must be undertaken in the countries of the EU into the reasons governing the decisions made by girls and young women in order to obtain a sound basis for political decisionmaking. There is a need for evaluation and broad implementation of measures and model programmes.

Berlin, 18 November 2000

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