Unanimous vote for equality roadmap

On March 1, the EU Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the communication "A Roadmap for Equality between women and men 2006-2010".

On July 13, at the Section meeting for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) which was responsible for preparing the EESC's work on the subject, the opinion was adopted by a unanimous vote. The rapporteur was EESC member Grace Attard.

The roadmap covers six priority areas: achieving equal economic independence for women and men; enhancing reconciliation of work, private and family life; promoting equal participation of women and men in decision-making; eradicating gender-based violence and trafficking and promoting equality outside the EU.

In addition, the roadmap provides guidelines for improving governance for gender equality at EU and national level as well as indicators for monitoring progress on the roadmap. The commission will present a report on the state of implementation of the roadmap in 2008 and carry out an evaluation and propose the necessary follow-up measures in 2010.

The roadmap is the result of wide consultation with existing structures at commission level, employers' representatives, trade unions and NGOs at European level. The opinion will be adopted at the EESC Plenary session in September. The full document can be viewed on the EESC Website www.eesc.europa.eu