Presentation of the N.C.E.O.

The Network of Parliamentary Committees on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the Member States of the European Union and of the European Parliament (N.C.E.O.) started in 1997. It provides for cooperation between the parliamentary committees responsible for equality of women and men in the Member States of the European Union and in the European Parliament. During the first year, the presidency of the Network was held by the committee of the Belgian Senate and the goals of the Network and rules for its work were laid down.

One of the goals of the Network is to organize an annual Conference of the Parliamentary Committees on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the Member States of the European Union and of the European Parliament. The Conference is intended to provide a framework for cooperation, encourage an exchange of views on useful practices, promote consultations on common European issues and draw up a strategy with the aim of developing reliable cooperation mechanisms.

Another goal of the N.C.E.O. is to promote the development of equality policies so that the European dimension is integrated into the work of all the parliamentary committees of the Network and the committees' accomplishments are appreciated at European level.

The third goal of the Network is to draw up a report on the activities of the committees to provide a European view which will help integrate their work into the dynamic of EU equality policies, i.e. promote the approximation of the European and the national dimension of equality policies.

In 1997 the committee of the Belgian Senate chose as the main subject of the 1st Conference the role of women and men in line with the new version of the European treaties adopted in Amsterdam that year. The following year the aim of the Portuguese committee, hosting the Conference on 29 and 30 October in Lisbon, was to develop the instruments for parliamentary control of equality programmes and policies.

In the field of research and analysis, the first presidency drew up a major report containing important information about the parliamentary committees in the N.C.E.O. and their working methods. The second presidency conducted a large study to develop a parliamentary instrument for evaluating the impact of different equality policies.

In 1999 Spain held the presidency of the Network. At the annual Conference the participants adopted a declaration calling upon European political parties and democratic institutions to secure the participation of men and women in political life on a basis of equality. Political parties should draw up their election lists in line with the actual proportion of women and - like the government - take special measures leading to equal access to politics, with the need to reconcile political activities with family responsibilities being taken into account.

In the year 2000 Germany - the Bundestag Committee on Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth - holds the presidency of the Network of Parliamentary Committees on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men. The Committee is planning to hold the annual Conference towards the end of the year 2000.

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