European & International News

International news globe All the latest news from the European Union, its member states, and beyond.

European & International News
International Day on Zero Tolerance to FGM: 6 February

Posted on 3 February 2011 |

February 6 was unanimously adopted at the International Conference on Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) organized by the Inter-African Committee (IAC) from February 4 to 6, 2003 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Representatives at the Conference came from 49 countries including four First Ladies (from Nigeria , Burkina Faso , Guinea Conakry and Mali ), Ministers, and Parliamentarians. Others included Religious, Community and Youth leaders.
Since 2003, the Inter-African Committee on (...) Read more
European & International News
President of European Parliament demands action to combat ’unacceptable’ Roma discrimination

Posted on 3 February 2011 |

By Martin Banks, The Parliament Magazine
Parliament’s president Jerzy Buzek has led new calls for an EU-wide crackdown on discrimination against Roma people.
Addressing the plenary, the Polish MEP said Roma were the "most oppressed" ethnic group in Europe and that such discrimination was "unacceptable".
A special debate was held at the start of the plenary on Wednesday to remember the "huge" number of Roma people who were killed by the Nazis in WW2.
Buzek’s comments come as the EU agency (...) Read more
European & International News
New EU figures on part-time work highlight persistence of strong gender imbalance

Posted on 3 February 2011 |

Eurofound, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, has published fresh figures about part time work in Europe in a report entitled ’Partime Work in Europe – European Company Survey 2009’.
Here are some of the key findings: In 2009 the part-time rate for women (32%) is four times the part-time rate for men (8%). Part-time work is increasing in Europe: between 1999 and 2009. The proportion of women working part-time increased from 28.5% to 32.0%, while the (...) Read more
European & International News
Poland - Parliament passes gender quota bill

Posted on 3 February 2011 |

On 5th of January the Polish Parliament approved Gender Quota Bill that aims at increasing women’s participation in political life. Before the Bill enters into force it must be signed by the President. According to the new legislation, at least 35 percent of all candidates on the lists of all parties running for seats in the 460-seat lower House of Parliament must be women. However, the rule does not apply to elections to the 100-seat upper House, the Senate.
The idea was launched by the (...) Read more
European & International News
Slow progress on parity in European governments

Posted on 2 February 2011 |

[European Commission, Brussels, 03 January 2011] An update of the European Commission’s database on women and men in decision-making has recently been completed and includes:
A quarterly update of data on political decision-making at European and national level (data were collected between mid-September and mid-October 2010 and reflect changes since the last update at the end of July). An annual update of political decision-making at regional level (data collected in August 2010). An (...) Read more
European & International News
Single mums struggle for a life in dignity, say MEPs

Posted on 2 February 2011 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 01 February 2011] The number of single mothers living in poverty is rapidly increasing, said MEP Barbara MATERA (EPP, IT), stressing that the statistics were alarming. We have "to act immediately", she continued and practical solutions and best practises should be offered.
On 31 January, the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee organised a public hearing on the situation of single mothers addressing the challenges single mother households face and the (...) Read more
European & International News
European Commission develops software to analyse gender pay gap in private companies

Posted on 1 February 2011 |

[European Commission, Brussels, 11 January 2011] In its ‘Strategy for equality between women and men 2010-2015’, the European Commission commits to supporting initiatives in the workplace which aim to encourage equal pay, such as the development of tools for employers to close unjustified gender pay gaps.
These tools include instruments designed to help employers, managers and human resources personnel identify if a company has a pay gap between its male and female employees. Such tools have (...) Read more
European & International News
V-Day season 2011 opens!

Posted on 1 February 2011 |

Attend a V-Day event near you!
On 1 February, V-Day’s 2011 season of events and campaigns started. From February 1 – April 30, from Peru to Armenia, over 1,450 colleges and communities will host V-Day benefit events raising funds and awareness to end violence against women and girls.
Events center around Eve Ensler’s ground breaking play The Vagina Monologues, but also include readings of V-Day’s anthology A Memory, Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer and Any One of Us: Words from Prison, (...) Read more
European & International News
UN Women Director Advocates for Women at World Economic Forum

Posted on 31 January 2011 |

UN WOMEN DIRECTOR MICHELLE BACHELET MAKES ECONOMIC, POLITICAL & SOCIAL CASE FOR WOMEN AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
[UN Women, New York, 25 January 2011] UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet will partake at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week to “make the economic, political and social case for women in the world.” During the annual meeting, Ms. Bachelet will participate at high-level forums, focusing on major challenges and solutions of and for women, on social (...) Read more
European & International News
MEPs call for binding targets to ensure equal representation

Posted on 27 January 2011 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 28 January 2011] A report aiming to address and tackle existing challenges related to achieving gender equality was on 27 January adopted by an overwhelming majority in the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee. Equality between women and men has a positive effect on economic growth, said MEPs, pointing out that, according to several studies, GDP would increase by 30% if women’s employment, part-time employment and productivity rates were similar to men. (...) Read more