The EU presiding trio, among them Slovenia, on Tuesday signed a declaration calling for gender equality in the EU. The document encourages all 27 member states to do away with sex-based stereotypes in all areas.
The declaration "Towards Gender Equality" was signed by Slovenia's Minister of Labour, the Family and Social Affairs Marjeta Cotman, German Minister for the Family Ursula von der Leyen and Portuguese State Secretary Jorge Lacao Costa on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU ministers in Bad Pyrmont, Germany.
The declaration does not say what individual members should do about stereotypes, while it envisages an assessment of implementation of goals in the equality of the sexes in mid-2008, when Slovenia's spell as EU president ends.
The declaration also calls for increasing the number of employed women and boosting their participation in senior positions and decision-making procedures.
"The number of women in senior positions in companies decreases comparably to the size of the company and growing hierarchy, which is a problem that all European countries face," Cotman said. According to her, the level of gender equality and the reconciliation of work and family life differs across the EU.
In the case of Slovenia the minister highlighted a change in legislation that would enable young parents whose children are at school to have a week off during school holidays.
Apart from priorities of the 18-month successive EU presidencies, the declaration lists activities of individual presidencies.
According to Cotman, one of the first events during Slovenia's presidency will be an informal EU ministerial on equal opportunities and the reconciliation of work and private life.
Cotman will present the position of women on the Slovenian labour market and their career opportunities in her address to the informal meeting Bad Pyrmont on Wednesday.
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