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on the 2000 Annual Conference of the Parliamentary Committees on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the EU Member States and of the European Parliament held on 17 and 18 November in Berlin

On 17 and 18 November 2000 more than 140 guests from the countries of the European Union and acceding countries met in the Reichstag building to discuss matters relating to equal opportunities.

17 November

Anke Fuchs, Vice-President of the German Bundestag, opened the event on 17 November and welcomed participants to the Reichstag.

Christel Hanewinckel, Chairperson of the host Committee on Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, gave the participants an introduction to the conference agenda.

The Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Dr. Christine Bergman, then described the current situation concerning equal opportunities policy in Germany and the measures the government had undertaken or was planning to take in this area.

All three speakers came to the conclusion that although much had been achieved in Germany as well as in Europe, women would have to continue to actively promote their interests.

After the opening of the conference, Dr. Ursula Nissen, Barabara Keddi and Patricia Pfeil (German Youth Institute) presented their expert opinion on the theme "Occupation selection processes in girls and young women: attempts at a theoretical explanation, and the empirical situation". The conclusions of this study, which above all call for support for girls early on in life, were welcomed by all participants.

In the afternoon the participants were invited to the Berlin Office of Deutsche Telekom AG, Jägerstraße 42, where a panel discussion took place on the theme "Equal Opportunities - a success factor or a hindrance - women in the public service and in industry". Margaret Meyer, head of the "Brigitte" office in Berlin, chaired a discussion in which the following participated: Member of Parliament Prof. Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Bundestag and Chairperson of the Independent Commission on Immigration; Member of Parliament Siegmar Mosdorf, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology; Karin Junker MEP; and Maud Pagel, Equal Opportunities Commissioner of Deutsche Telekom AG.

18 November

On 18 November the discussion focused on equal opportunities policy in Europe and the adoption of the Berlin Declaration.

In the morning, EU Commissioner Dr. Michaele Schreyer described the current situation concerning equal opportunities policy in Europe.

After lunch, in a debate led by Lissy Gröner MEP, participants discussed the continuation of the network and adopted the Berlin Declaration. There was general agreement that the continued existence of the network would have to be ensured in order to fight even more effectively for enhanced equal opportunities in Europe. In the discussion on the Berlin Declaration, the proposed amendments, submitted since the preparatory meeting on 10 September, where a draft declaration was put forward, were discussed. As in September, the most contentious point was the establishment of a permanent office for the network. It was not possible to reach agreement on this matter. In particular, the funding of such an office was seen as problematic. Consequently the participants decided to set up a working group to deal further with this question. In the Berlin Declaration the participants laid down that Spain (previous holder of the presidency), Germany (current holder of the presidency), the European Parliament, and the subsequent holder of the presidency would each appoint one representative to the working group, which would meet by the end of the first quarter of 2001 in order to discuss the questions still unresolved.