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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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| Date: 16/05/2011 |
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Youth on the Move – starting on the journey through life For many young people in Europe, the final years of school and the transition from education into work present major challenges. The economic crisis has only increased the obstacles they face in obtaining the skills and qualifications needed to secure a satisfying job and a secure place in society. And yet, Europe must enable its young people to realise their potential if it is to achieve sustainable growth, offset the impact of demographic change, and sustain its place as a leading knowledge economy at global level. The European Economic and Social Committee has long been aware that young people hold the key to the future, and of the need to involve them in decisions that affect their lives. Through a series of recent opinions, it has alerted European policy-makers to the need to boost young people's participation in education, employment and society, to promote learning mobility across the EU, and to integrate them more smoothly into the labour market. So the EESC was quick to welcome the emphasis on young people in the EU’s Europe 2020 growth strategy, and the flagship initiative Youth on the Move, which outlines measures to implement it. Action on several fronts Youth on the Move highlights four areas of action: lifelong learning and the recognition of skills acquired outside the formal educational framework; increasing the number of students in higher education; boosting EU-wide mobility for study and employment; and helping young people into work. Such action is urgent. Young people make up one-fifth of the EU’s population of 500 million. Yet the average unemployment rate for under-25s is almost 21% (30-40% in some countries), representing a shocking waste of human potential. One in seven fails to complete secondary education, and one in four has poor reading ability. Less than one in three Europeans has a university degree, compared with 50% of Japanese. Europe 2020’s headline targets include cutting the school drop-out rate to 10% and boosting tertiary education to 40%. Already, in an opinion of 2008, the EESC called for a coherent EU youth strategy with measures to "get young people into work on a massive scale", while warning against casual jobs with no prospects. It further recognised that the social partners – employers and trade unions – have a major responsibility for integrating young people into the labour market. In 2009, responding to the EU Strategy for Youth, the Committee stressed the need to develop European policies not only for youth but with youth, strengthening links between school, work and voluntary activities. And in December that year it called for barriers to mobility to be lifted, so as to create a common European lifelong learning area. Caution against cuts Many of these elements are reiterated in the EESC’s opinion on Youth on the Move, which warns against austerity cuts that undermine the very provisions of most value to the young, including social rights, training and the creation of stable jobs. "The Committee is afraid that the cuts will continue to affect the provision of quality and affordable education and training services to young people – which are the best means of accessing a good job," explains Vice-President Anna Maria Darmanin. "Job insecurity affects young people more than any other group. The EESC stresses the importance of maintaining and increasing, wherever possible, the resources assigned at national and EU level to the education, training and employment of young people. It particularly emphasises the need to increase the use of the European Social Fund. The accessibility and size of grants should be prioritised, and the procedure for granting loans carefully examined, as it is important to prevent young people from becoming trapped in a spiral of debt." The opinion calls for more emphasis on non-discrimination, including measures to combat wage inequalities between young men and women, overcome the barriers young migrants face in the labour market, and address the needs of disadvantaged young people. And it also points out that getting involved in civil society contributes to personal development. "Voluntary activities can help young people develop important features like entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, team-spirit, problem-solving skills, language skills, multicultural awareness, solidarity, and a sense of initiative and responsibility," argues Anna Maria Darmanin. "A database with vacancies for traineeships in citizens' organisations should be developed and included in the existing youth websites." Working with young people Young people need to "take ownership" of the policies affecting them, she adds. The EESC has transformed this commitment into practical action. For the last two years, the Your Europe, Your Say! event in Brussels has brought school students from all the Member States to the heart of Europe. Just as important as the event itself is the preparation, with Committee members visiting schools in their own countries to talk about the EU and the role of civil society. Some 5 million young Europeans are currently looking for work. Not only their personal welfare, but also Europe’s progress towards a knowledge economy with high social standards, depend on their success. |
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