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Barcelona Conference: The future of Europe depends on gender equality

26 October, 2002 By Editor

Barcelona, Catalunya (E), 26 October 2002

The conference organised in Barcelona by the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and the Institut Català de la Dona on 25th and 26th October 2002 under the heading “Women in decision-making in the Regions of Europe: women and men sharing power” led to several steps forward being made in terms of gender equality:

Women in politics…

“The balanced share of responsibilities and equal opportunities must be fully planned for, assessed and resolved. If we do not manage to reconcile the pillars of society, i.e. paid work and family obligations, via enhanced action for the reconciliation of politics and family life, female participation in this field will remain tedious and difficult” declared Carin Palmcrantz, President of the Equal opportunities for men and women group.

Participants unanimously criticised the bad example provided by the EU: the Convention on the future of Europe, responsible for drawing up the future Constitution, has very few female members. “It is our duty to put pressure on Convention members to ensure that the future Constitution pertinently includes gender equality. We must make the proposals of the Regions heard” stated Teresa Freixes Sanjúan, Professor in Constitutional law and President of the European Law Institute. This comes in addition to the AER survey showing significant change in terms of gender representation: in 1997, only 10% of members had Equality action programmes against 55% in 2002.

… and economics

“Claims for gender equality do not only concern women, all members of society are affected” stressed Margarida Álvarez i Álvarez, President of the Institut Català de la Dona. “The struggle for gender equality is not simply a question of justice, it’s profitable” she continued. World Bank statistics prove that countries which protect women’s rights and develop access to financial assistance achieve more rapid economic growth than other countries.

Participants generally agreed on the critical nature of re-organising labour systems in order to adapt the current situation and allow both men and women to live fulfilled professional and personal lives.

The AER Equal opportunities group now intends to distribute the final Declaration adopted in Barcelona to the European Institutions and to the regions themselves. They will also ensure the follow-up to their recommendations.

For more information: [email protected]

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Conference Women’s role in the economic and political scene in Europe

17 October, 2002 By Editor

AER “equal opportunities for men and women”

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) and the Institut Català de la Dona are organising a Conference under the heading “Women in decision-making in the regions of Europe: men and women sharing power” on 25th and 26th October 2002 in Barcelona. The 4th annual Conference of the AER on equal opportunities for men and women will take a look at:

Women in the economic and political scene in Europe
The idea is to study the position of women in both political and economic decision-making circles and to consider means of enhancing their roles and reaching an equal gender balance

A country by country presentation of the political representation of women in regional government
Five years after the first survey carried out within AER member regions on the distribution of mandates within regional political and administrative bodies, the AER has once again launched its enquiry on the evolution of the situation.

Participants will adopt a final declaration for the attention of the European institutions and the regions of Europe aiming at the continued progress of gender equality.

For more information: [email protected]

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European Convention: Nominations for the EU Youth Convention!

19 April, 2002 By Editor

AER urges for a strong representation of young people from the Regions and local authorities in the EU Youth Convention

Call for lobbying of Convention members by the Regions and regional youth assemblies

The Convention on the Future of Europe, in its March and April sessions decided to set up a Youth Convention at is session in April. The Youth Convention of 210 young people will meet in the plenary session on the 9th – 14th July 2002 in Brussels. It will have a full Presidency and will also have its own rapporteurs to report back to the Convention. Costs will be met by the EU.

The Youth Convention is made up of 18 to 25 year olds and is open to all young people meaning that it should represent a cross-section of society and not only members or young officials of youth organisations, political organisations or parties.

Gender equality is another issue, so that young women should have an equal share of nominations. All members of the European Convention have the right to nominate young people for the Youth Convention. The procedure for how youth members will be finally selected is not very clear.

As with the exception of the representative of the German Bundesrat, the Minister-President Erwin Teufel, no other member participates with a specific regional mandate (representatives of the Committee of the Regions participate as observers), it will be difficult to have direct nominations from local and regional youth assemblies.

Nevertheless the AER asks all Regions to lobby their national representatives (Government and Parliament) to ensure that young people with a specific local or regional affiliation will be nominated. It would be detrimental to the concept of the Youth Convention if this new body consisted of a majority of representatives of established youth organisations and young politicians or young relatives of members. The EU Youth Convention needs high participation from young people from our regions in order to express their regional and local concerns.

For more information: [email protected]

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The AER working for equal opportunities for men and women

2 November, 2001 By Editor

Tällberg, Dalarna (Sweden), 2 November 2001

The annual Conference of the working group of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) responsible for equal opportunities for men and women took place on 2nd November 2001 in Tällberg (Dalarna, Sweden). Three issues were on the agenda for this working session which was chaired by Mrs Carin Palmcrantz, First Vice-President of the County Council of Dalarna: the role of men in gaining greater gender equality, trafficking in women from Eastern and Central Europe and domestic violence.

The meeting allowed delegates from the Regions of Europe to discuss their experience and good practices in the presence of representatives from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the International Office for Migration.

A final declaration was adopted and will be submitted to the AER General Assembly on 29th and 30th November 2001 in Sopron (Hungary). This text invites the Regions of Europe to actively and political practice gender quality within their political and administrative bodies whilst highlighting mens’ roles. “This is a society-wide problem which does not affect women only” states the final declaration whilst condemning the trafficking of women from Eastern and Central Europe and declaring that “it is thanks to the existance of a organised market and demand for prostitution in Western Europe that these women, hounded by poverty, are able to turn to this hideous trafficking which is both possible and profitable”. Finally, the declaration feels that domestic violence should not be considered as a private problem, but as a social one which requires action by the social services in the Regions.

Prior to this meeting, the working group held a working lunch in the company of Mrs Margareta Winberg, Swedish Minister for gender equality. This lunch-debate was held on 1st in Stockholm at the Swedish Government headquarters and allowed the delegates from the Regions of Europe attending this meeting to receive information on the initiatives taken by Sweden concerning gender equality.

For more information: [email protected]

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Newsletter Spring 2001: Cohesion policy in an enlarged Union?

1 May, 2001 By Editor

Headlines:

Cohesion policy in an enlarged Union?
Bureau meeting in Oberkirch – Baden-Württemberg (D)
Greater decentralisation in the Czech Republic
Seminar on “profitable environmental awareness”
Ecological tourism: planning for a gain-gain relation
Environmental Care as a Key factor in development and spatial planning
Ecology as a basis for sustainable regional development
Centurio: launch on 2001 edition
Summer School >Constanta, host region for 2001
Caravan on regionalism in Hungary >“Regionalism, culture and youth”
Gender equality: slowly but surely!
Hearings on European Governance
Real regions for a modern France by Adrien Zeller
Cooperation between Wielkopolska (PL) and Noord-Brabant (NL)

(Use pop-out button to view & download the publication)

The newsletter is available in English, French and German:

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Meeting of the AER political Bureau

12 May, 1999 By Editor

Brussels, 12 May 1999

The first meeting of the AER political Bureau, in its new composition issued from elections at the General Assembly in Linz (A) in last December, will be held on 12th May in Brussels. Several subjects will be discussed and in particular:

• Regions faced with the situation in Kosovo;

• Project of the European Constitution, the Subsidiarity, the EU Enlargement, the next Intergovernmental Conference (IGC);

• Regionalisation in progress: results of elections in Scotland and Wales, development in Hungary;

• Adoption of resolutions and decisions made by the AER Committees (January to May 1999):

Commission A ”Institutional Affairs and East-West Cooperation”
– Programme of Seminar “Strong Regions for a strong Europe” (27-28 May, Stuttgart-D),
– Project of the Conference “Regions and EU Enlargement process” (21-22 Sept., Wroclaw-PL),
– Information relative to the Summer school (28 August, Istra-HR) and Centurio, two AER training programmes;
Commission B “Social Cohesion, Social Services, Public Health and Employment”
– Resolutions and decisions which will be made at the next meeting (6 May, Trondheim-N),
– Declaration of Turin relative to the men-women equality;
Commission C ”Regional Policy” (Meeting of 18-19 March, Umea-S)
– Views on the last Environmental Action Programme (EAP) of the EU and contribution to the next EAP,
– Views on the respect of environmental norms in tourism,
– Participation in the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign and in the next Earth Summit,
– Role of the Regions and interregional cooperation in the implementation of ESDP,
– Declaration of Grado – Interregional Organisations common position on the Interreg III,
– Regional twinnings ;
Commission D “Culture, Education/Training, Youth, Medias, Sport” (Meeting of 19- 20 April, Nyborg-DK)
– Preparations for a pan-European Conference of Regional Cultural Ministers (2000) and support to the initiative of creating a network for exchanging information via the Internet between regional public libraries (“Culture” Subcommittee),
– Requests for amendments of Community programmes, especially following the nonadmission of EU candidate countries to the pilot project “Parliaments representing the Youth of Europe” (“Education & Training” Subcommittee),
– Creation of a programme of solidarity for Romanian street children and orphans – ”Streetkids-Romania 1999”- organised by the Region of Piemonte (I) and proposal put forward by the Region of Odessa (UKR) to organise a conference on the “Participation of Youth in management and public life at regional level” by spring 2000 (“Youth” Subcommittee).

For more information: [email protected]

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Barcelona Conference: The future of Europe depends on gender equality

Women in politics…

… and economics

Conference Women’s role in the economic and political scene in Europe

AER “equal opportunities for men and women”

European Convention: Nominations for the EU Youth Convention!

AER urges for a strong representation of young people from the Regions and local authorities in the EU Youth Convention

Call for lobbying of Convention members by the Regions and regional youth assemblies

The AER working for equal opportunities for men and women

Meeting of the AER political Bureau

Library

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