MEP attacks Commission

In Brussels earlier this week, the Women's Rights Committee launched a scathing attack on the Commission over its gender policies, when it was asked to approve the discharge of the EU General Budget for 2008.

"Gender budgeting has still not been implemented" the committee stated in a report, demanding that the Commission take further steps towards ensuring that gender mainstreaming becomes a reality in budgetary planning. The committee also pointed out that in 2008 a large number of reimbursements to the Cohesion projects, (which cover gender equality), were affected by "errors".

At the Luxembourg summit of 1997, it was agreed that gender equality, and equal employment opportunities for men and women, should be the fourth pillar of EU employment guidelines. However, according to the Commission's own figures employment rates amongst women are lower than for men, with women continuing to earn an average of 17.4% less than men for each hour worked.

UKIP MEP Nikki Sinclaire told us "Throughout the world, it is women who bear the brunt of economic and social problems. I suspect that millions of women in Europe would have had higher expectations of the Commission, which has again failed to deliver on its commitments".