The Committee for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality has no legislative function. The European Parliament has been given a more legislative role, and this role will be strengthened if the Lisbon Treaty comes into force in 2009. According to Eva-Britt Svensson of the Swedish Left Party, there will then be a risk that the Gender Equality Committee will be abolished.
“There are powerful forces that use the development of the EU as a pretext for devoting less time in plenary sessions to matters other than legislation. The number of own-initiative reports allowed in the legislative process at the same time has decreased from six to three. If there is a further reduction, the basis for the existence of our committee is threatened.”
“This will reduce our work to a bare-bones version of what we’ve been doing so far. Much of the gender equality work is about forming public opinion, of highlighting issues and increasing the knowledge of other MEPs.”
According to several Nordic MEPs, gender equality issues have a low status in the European Parliament. Both men and women express their disinterest, or at times, direct opposition.
“In a plenary session, a British MEP called the members of the Equality Committee ”lesbian man-haters”,” says Eva-Britt Svensson.
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| We want a woman. Members of the European Parliament insist that at least one of four EU top positions to be filled in 2009 should be given to a woman. In picture: Diana Wallis, UK, Karin Riis-Jørgensen, Denmark and Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Finland. Photo: Bosse Parbring |
30 per cent of the members of the European Parliament are women. But out of 23 committees, only six are chaired by women. None of the political groups has a female chair. Of the employees of the Parliament, only 20 per cent are women.
“It is interesting that we who have been elected haven’t achieved more on women’s issues,” says Finnish former Prime Minister Anneli Jätteenmäki from the Finnish Centre Party. She is also a member of the Gender Equality Committee.
“The gender equality issue has been around for 50 years, as one of the bases of the Rome Treaty, but the objectives have still not been met. Many women in the European Parliament are happy with things and think there is no need for action. Many men are against gender equality, but they won’t say anything. They keep quiet.”
Anna Hedh from the Swedish Social Democrats is also a member of the Gender Equality Committee. She senses a feeling of hopelessness.
“Whenever the Gender Equality Committee tables an issue, it is never taken seriously. Even Swedes vote against it. They don’t think that such issues are a matter for the EU.”
“There is a trend towards more men in European politics. For the 2009 elections, more women need to be promoted as candidates.”
As of last year, in each parliamentary committee, there should be a person responsible for gender mainstreaming, reporting to the Gender Equality Committee.
“This works only on paper,” says Anna Hedh. “In practice, it boils down to the Chair of each committee saying some nice words.”
”The question is, should we have a Gender Equality Committee? It may be better to set higher demands on the other committees. On the other hand, I think there is a need for it.”
This article has been published in NIKK magasin 1 2009 © NIKK
