Towards gender equality

[FEMM Committee, European Parliament, Brussels, 19 May 2011] On 17-18 May a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality visited Warsaw in the context of the forthcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The aim of the visit was to learn about gender equality policies in Poland and exchange views about the priorities of the Presidency Programme in the field of gender equality.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Chair of the Committee, Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL, Sweden) stated: “We were impressed by the very encouraging situation on gender equality in Poland and by the progressive legislation recently adopted in areas such as participation of women in the labour market and in the political decision-making and reconciliation of family and professional life. We also welcome the many interesting initiatives on equality promoted by Polish civil society.

We look forward to fruitfully cooperate with the forthcoming Polish Presidency and do hope that we will succeed together in finding solutions in order to adopt important pending EU legislation such as a revised Maternity Leave Directive”.

Over the course of the two days visit, members of the delegation met Mr Radoslaw Mleczko, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, and Mrs Radziszewska, Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment. The delegation also met with several parliamentarians from the Senate and the Polish Sejm, including Mr Slawomir Piechota and Mr Ryszard Kalisz, Chairs of the corresponding committees in the Sejm, Mr Mieczyslaw Augustyn and Mr Stanislaw Piotrowicz, Chairs of the corresponding committees in the Senate, and Mr Stanislaw Rakoczy, Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee in the Sejm as well as with Ms Magdalena Kochan, Chair of the parliamentary group of women. Meetings were also held with Mrs Ewa Malinowska-Grupinska, President of the Council of Warsaw, and Mrs Karolina Malczyk-Rokicinska, plenipotentiary of the President of Warsaw to equal treatment as well as with representatives of the Congress of Women and representatives of NGOs.

Members of the EP delegation:

Eva-Britt SVENSSON, (GUE/NGL, Sweden), Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Barbara MATERA (EPP, Italy), Vice-Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Marc TARABELLA (S&D, Belgium)