Doc. 9866

9 July 2003

Women’s participation in decision-making

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mrs Cliveti and others

1.       As a follow-up to the 4^th World Conference on Women held in Beijing on 15 September 1995, states have undertaken to ensure women’s equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making.

2.       The Council of Europe and the European Union have repeatedly affirmed the principle of gender balance in public and private decision-making structures, as well as in legislative and judicial bodies.

3.       Despite of all the stands taken by the international organisations it is clear that women continue to be under-represented in decision-making bodies;

4.       For these reasons the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

      i. consider introducing women’s proportional presence in political and administrative institutions;

      ii. take positive action to contribute towards achieving a more balanced participation of men and women in political life, as this is a prerequisite for a better functioning of politics itself thanks to the complementary nature of men’s and women’s specific qualities;

      iii. see to it that public institutions in Council of Europe member states set the reasonable target of having a proportional number of women in high-ranking positions, in order to redress any gender imbalance;

      iv. ensure actual application of the fundamental principle of “equal pay for same job” both for men and women;

      v. give power to the principle of equal opportunities for women and men at all levels of the social structures and make it one of the European values;

      vi. consider that women’s participation also within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe should be regarded as essential.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed ¹:

Cliveti, Romania, SOC

Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD

Baburin, Ukraine, UEL

Branger, France, EDG

Čurdová, Czech Republic, SOC

De Zulueta, Italy, SOC

Err, Luxembourg, SOC

Gaburro, Italy, EPP/CD

Hägg, Sweden, SOC

Herczog, Hungary, SOC

Konglevoll, Norway, SOC

Kósá-Kovács, Hungary, SOC

Labucka, Latvia, EPP/CD

Olteanu, Romania, SOC

Pericleous-Papadopoulos, Cyprus, LDR

Petrova-Mitevska, «the former Yugoslav Republic of Yugoslavia», SOC

Skarphéđinsson, Iceland, SOC

Zapfl-Helbling, Switzerland, EPP/CD

Zwerver, Netherlands, SOC

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group