Mr Knud Kristensen

Chair of the Labour Market Committee

Folketinget

Christiansborg

DK - 1240 København

Denmark

 

 

Dear Chair,

 

 

Subject:   Implementation of the Directive 2002/73/EC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions

 

The European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality has decided to draft a report on the transposition and application of the above mention Directive 2002/73/EC, for which I am the rapporteur. This directive should be seen as a tool for eliminating inequalities and achieving substantive gender equality as much as a means to contribute to the Union's strategic social and economic goals as defined in Lisbon.

 

In broader terms, the report will examine the state of transposition of this directive in different Member States as well as the infringement proceedings for the non-compliance which were launched by the European Commission. The directive, which has introduced substantial and procedural amendments to the European Community's previous Equal Treatment Directive 76/2006, had to be transposed in the Member States by 5 October 2005.

 

The report will analyse problems concerning the application of this very broad directive such as its scope, the transposition of definitions or the functioning of the "Equality bodies" in Member States. Moreover, the report will also aim to assess the overall quality of the transposition and the impact of this European Community 'soft law' instrument by identifying the most common difficulties and proposing a list of suggestions on how the situation could be improved.

 

The quality of this report depends immensely on the up-to-date information available. It appears natural in this context to involve actively the national Parliaments in order to enrich our knowledge and to share your concerns when transposing this important Directive. Therefore, each national Parliament is invited to provide us with its follow-up observations in particular as regards the difficulties encountered when transposing the Directive: definitions, establishment of Equality bodies, sanctions, judicial and administrative procedures, the cooperation with the social partners, NGOs and employers.

 

I would kindly ask you to send your replies to the following e-mail address IP‑[email protected] no later than 10 July 2008. They will be discussed in the committee meeting on 15-16 July, to which you are more than welcome to participate.

 

I thank you warmly in advance for your support and valuable information that is crucial for a constructive in-depth report.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Teresa Riera Madurell (MEP)

Rapporteur FEMM