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| Women on Boards: Vice-President Viviane Reding and Markus Klimmer, Managing Director at Accenture di |
| Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU's Justice Commissioner, met with Markus Klimmer, Managing Director at Accenture, today to discuss how best to improve gender balance on company boards.
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| NCW congratulates Maltese Women MEPs |
| The National Council of Women welcomes the news that three women have been elected as MEPs, giving women a 50% presence amongst the six Maltese MEPs. |
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| WOMEN: 59 days in 2013 before equal remuneration in Europe |
| Dublin, 01/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - It is only from 28 February this year that women in Europe started to earn the same salary as men. An additional 59 days are therefore needed for women to reduce the pay gap - which this year still stands at 16.2% according to figures published by the European Commission.
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| (AE) WOMEN: Consultation and future action on genital mutilation |
| Brussels, 13/02/2013 (Agence Europe) -European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Viviane Reding is preparing to launch a public consultation and concrete initiatives to tackle female genital mutilation in March. During the period of the consultation, a conference, organised with other Commissioners, on the fight against violence against women will be held. |
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| AE) WOMEN: Already more women on company boards after quota proposal |
| Brussels, 25/01/2013 (AgenceEurope) - The European Commission believes that its controversial proposal on a quota of women on company boards could be bearing fruit. It notes that in less than a year, twice as many women are now on company boards in Europe, with a significant increase in the large majority of member states. Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding seized the moment to present these encouraging results to the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday 25 January. |
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| WOMEN: 50/50 declaration for parity in institutions after 2014 |
| Brussels, 22/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - MEPs are now ready to do battle to defend equality in the European institutions after the 2014 elections. A “multi-party” declaration was presented on Wednesday 22 November at the European Parliament during the plenary session. |
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| (AE) WOMEN: Parliamentary pressure to counter domestic violence |
| Brussels, 19/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - Five MEPs are putting pressure on the EU to ratify the international convention to prevent and combat violence against women. Mikael Gustafsson (GUE/NGL, Sweden), Barbara Matera (EPP, Italy), Antonya Parvanova (ALDE, Bulgaria), Raül Romeva (Greens/EFA, Spain) and Britta Thomsen (S&D, Denmark) are urging their colleagues to sign a written declaration in this connection. The declaration calls on the EU to ratify the Council of Europe convention on tackling domestic violence and violence against women. It also urges member states to subsequently take action against this phenomenon. |
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| (AE) WOMEN: Nicosia progresses pay gap debate |
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Brussels, 31/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Cypriot Presidency is pushing the pay gap debate forwards - the difference in pay between men and women still being on average 16% in Europe. At a conference organised in Cyprus on this topic on 29-30 October, the Presidency concluded that the reduction of this pay gap comes through “promoting social dialogue and tripartite cooperation as a way of tackling this problem”.
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| (AE) WOMEN: Reding is snubbed - quotas deferred until mid-November Brussels, 23/10/2012 (Agence Euro |
| The quota of 40% women on bluechip company boards has been postponed, but Viviane Reding is determined not to give up her highly controversial proposal for a directive. She promises that the dossier will be back on the Commission agenda by the end of November, when it will be stronger and more open to subsidiarity. Reding, who is optimistic, said that after a century-long battle her proposal could wait another couple of weeks |
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| (AE) WOMEN: Moment of truth for Reding and corporate quotas |
| Brussels, 22/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The College of Commissioners may sweep away with one hand the proposal to bring in a 40% quota for women on management boards in European companies quoted on the stock exchange, a proposal that Commissioner Viviane Reding plans to submit on Tuesday. |
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| Women - Reding bases argument on subsidiarity quotas |
| Brussels, 05/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - Viviane Reding, the commissioner responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, has already been able to get into her stride with regard to feminine quotas in large companies - ahead of time and on converted ground. |
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| The EWL has written to the European Commission and Member States |
| The EWL has written to the European Commission and Member States in response to a letter signed by 9 countries against a proposed EU Directive to increase the number of women on boards across Europe. Although well below our expectations, the EWL is giving its full backing to Commissioner Reding’s proposal, and calling on all parties to do the same. |
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| (AE) WOMEN: ECB, letter from Goulard to Juncker on parity |
| Brussels, 18/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - French liberal MEP, Sylvie Goulard, has directly addressed the president of Eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, to again draw attention to the question of respecting equal opportunities for women when appointing the sixth member of the European Central Bank board of governors. The economic and financial committee, of which Goulard is a member, effectively suspended the hearing of Yves Mersch for a post on the board of governors, due to the lack of gender balance on the board.
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| (AE) WOMEN: Greens favour quotas and hit back at nine blocking states |
| Brussels, 20/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Greens are hitting back at the intention of nine member states not to support Viviane Reding's awaited proposal on setting a quota of 40% women on the boards of bluechip companies.
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| Women on Boards: Viviane Reding meets with leaders of Europe's business schools and industry |
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On the 19 June, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding met with European Industry Associations, European Business Schools and Senior Executive Women to discuss progress being made on improving the gender balance in company boardrooms. |
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| The National Council of Women supports the Act to provide protection for human embryos |
| NCW has always advocated for legislation of alternative IVF treatment not least because of the sensitivity and the consequences for both parents and society if it had to remain unregulated. NCW believes that IVF treatment should be for heterosexuals within a stable family environment The Council has always supported the protection of embryos as the first cell of a human life and, with the development of alternative treatment over the past years this has become possible successfully. |
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| WOMEN: Campaign to get more women into scientific careers |
| Brussels, 22/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - Science is also a “girl thing”. That is the message the Commission intends to drive home throughout the EU over the next three years to get more girls interested in science and encourage more women to choose research as a career.
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| Women on Boards: Vice-President Viviane Reding meets with leaders of Europe's business schools and i |
| Today, EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding met with European Industry Associations, European Business Schools and Senior Executive Women to discuss progress being made on improving the gender balance in company boardrooms.
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| UfM adopts new project to support women’s empowerment in the Mediterranean |
| A project aimed at developing women’s empowerment in the Mediterranean through the development of effective field projects and the setting up of networks and platforms, was adopted by Senior Officials of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) at a meeting held last month. |
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Maternity, paternity leave – the other side of the coin Recent comments (Wednesday 16 June 2010) on the report of a study carried out regarding the costs of maternity and paternity leave need to address the issue through a wider perspective One needs to clarify that the primary aim of the controversial Directive 92/85 EEC on maternity leave is to introduce measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding. The second aim is to pave the way for a sharing of family care and work responsibilities for both men and women. In fact, for the first time, EU Gender Equality legislation is providing a legal basis for an integrated approach to maternity and parental leave. Recent developments show that European law is evolving from a traditional approach to maternity issues towards an approach that also incorporates paternity issues and, more broadly, the matters regarding the reconciliation of family and working life in all types of work There is the need to avoid narrowing its scope and implications; consequently, the importance of a holistic and comprehensive approach to these matters, to see the whole picture and achieve economic and social progress is a priority. In this context, policy makers must consider different needs, competing values and conflicts of interest in issues such as demographic issues (including low birth rate and fast growing number of pensioners); labour market needs; accessible and affordable childcare facilities; reconciliation of working, family and private life; the fight against poverty and social exclusion; the best interest of the child; equal opportunities for women and men; solidarity between generations and education and lifelong learning Keeping women in the labour market is a priority. Many women leave the labour market because of difficulties in reconciling work and domestic responsibilities. Labour market inequalities make it rational for many women, rather than their male partners, to give up employment to care for children or others. Longer spells of unemployment to reconcile work and maternity can have negative consequences for experience, skills and motivation for re-entry into the labour market. In the EU, The employment rate of women with dependent children is only 65% compared to 91,7% for men.. This can lead to less women returning to the labour market after having a child. The EU employment policy promotes a life-cycle approach to work, acknowledging that workers have different needs and priorities at different stage of their lives. The gap between women and men with dependent children is also high (19 %). European social partners, the counterparts of our social partners are seeking ways of addressing these challenges through medium and long term measures through the recent Framework Agreement on Parental Leave, which was signed by the European social partners (BUSINESSEUROPE, ETUC, CEEP and UEAPME) on 18 June 2009; in fact the revised Directive 2010/18/EU is based on this agreement, providing for better protection against discrimination and a smoother return to work. Developments are also addressing the needs of self-employed workers. We are all aware that SMEs, in the EU and in Malta are the backbone of our economy. The recent adoption of the Directive on Self-employed Workers and Assisting Spouses endorsed by EU governments Brussels (7 June 2010) improves the social protection rights of millions of women in the labour market, boosting female entrepreneurship. An innovative approach to the family-friendly issues geared towards economic growth and competitieness has been clearly identified as a priority in the EU 2020 Strategy, and more recently in the first phase of the revised Commission Working Time Directive not least as a result of current studies on the recession resulting from male-dominated decisions In line with these developments, there is the need for a national policy, a package of family-friendly measures for both the public and private sector whilst taking into consideration the situation of SMEs. This will ensure a level playing field in the sharing of costs and benefits for maternity and paternity leave by both private and public sector, offering opportunities for an increase in employment rates. It is undemocratic today to repeatedly come across statements saying that extending maternity leave will be counter productive to female employment. We need to ensure that adequate conditions are created in order to prevent any new forms of discrimination from arising. .Malta also needs to urgently put in place legislation on temping agencies, in particular to address human resources needs during maternity and paternity leave and start thinking of employing foreigners when we have exhausted the Maltese potential. Raising the employment rate of women is a priority, not least because Malta is committed to the EU 2020 targets of 75% male and female employment. Social protection measures through state social security systems together with non-financial incentives are necessary to reduce the costs on the business sector in order to remain competitive. The private sector needs to be proactive and innovative. Increasing the participation rate of both men and women is a reality we have to face in the interest of parents, children, society by all stakeholders, including government. The challenge for the future is to ensure the competitive edge for which we are all working - to seek win-win solutions rather than remain stuck in outdated counterproductive employment policies Grace Attard President NCW
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