Recommendation 1996/694 - 96/694/EC: Council Recommendation of 2 December 1996 on the balanced participation of women and men in the decision-making process - Main contents

official title

 

Legal instrument	Recommendation
Number legal act	Recommendation 1996/694
Original proposal	COM(1995)593
CELEX number i	31996H0694

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96/694/EC: Council Recommendation of 2 December 1996 on the balanced participation of women and men in the decision-making process

Official Journal L 319 , 10/12/1996 P. 0011 - 0015

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION of 2 December 1996 on the balanced participation of women and men in the decision-making process (96/694/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof,

Having regard to the proposals from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2),

• (1) 

  Whereas the Council has adopted a series of legislative instruments and a number of political commitments in the field of equal treatment and equal opportunities for men and women (3) (4) (5) (6);

• (2) 

  Whereas the Heads of State and Government, meeting within the European Council in Essen, Cannes and Madrid, stressed that the fight against unemployment and equal opportunities for women and men were paramount tasks of the European Union and its Member States;

• (3) 

  Whereas attention was focused on women's access to decision-making in Council Recommendation 84/635/EEC of 13 December 1984 on the promotion of positive action for women (7), in the second Council Resolution of 24 July 1986 on the promotion of equal opportunities for women (8), in the Council Resolution of 21 May 1991 on the third medium-term Community action programme on equal opportunities for women and men (1991-1995) (9), in the Council Resolution of 27 March 1995 on the balanced participation of women and men in decision-making (10) and in Council Decision 95/593/EC of 22 December 1995 on a medium-term Community action programme on equal opportunities for men and women (1996-2000) (11);

• (4) 

  Whereas the European Parliament in its Resolution of 11 February 1994 on women in decision-making bodies (12) asked the Commission to 'step up implementation of the equal opportunities policy set out in the third Community action programme, to combat individual obstacles which hinder women from taking part in decision-making` and to define 'measures and actions to promote greater participation of women in the decision-making process`;

• (5) 

  Whereas the Declaration and the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 4 to 15 September 1995) stressed the need to ensure that responsibilities, powers and rights are shared equally; whereas the Member States are committed to implementing the Platform for Action;

• (6) 

  Whereas participation in the decision-making process depends on representation on decision-making bodies at all levels of political, economic, social and cultural life and requires, in particular, presence in posts of responsibility and decision-taking positions;

• (7) 

  Whereas women are still under-represented in decision-making bodies, in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres;

• (8) 

  Whereas the under-representation of women in decision-making bodies is partly a result of the delay in women attaining equal civic and civil rights, of obstacles to their gaining economic independence and of difficulties in reconciling their working and family life;

• (9) 

  Whereas balanced participation of women and men in the decision-making process is a requirement for democracy;

• (10) 

  Whereas the under-representation of women in decision-making posts constitutes a loss for society as a whole and may prevent the interests and needs of the entire population from being catered for in full;

• (11) 

  Whereas measures aimed at bringing about a balanced participation of women and men in the decision-making process in all sectors should go together with the integration of the dimension of equality of opportunity for women...

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