Press briefing at Finlandia Hall 29 September 1999 at 18.00 o´clock

The EU Ministers for equality and labour will in the ministerial Conference arranged in the Finlandia Hall on September 30-October 1, 1999, discuss how the Member States of the EU have succeeded in mainstreaming the gender equality in the national action plans on employment policy given to the European Commission. According to a recent report by the Commission, the mainstreaming has not succeeded adequately. An assessment of the situation has also put forward the impacts of fiscal and social policy incentives and impediments on employment among women in particular.

Promoting gender equality is one of the priorities during the Finnish Presidency. Finland continues the work of the previous Presidencies for mainstreaming the gender equality perspective in the employment policies of the Member States, and wants to give an impetus to taking account of it in other policies as well.

There will be discussion i.a. on the employment of women and men and on the fiscal and social- policy incentives and impediments influencing it, on the promotion of equality in working life, and on the unification of family and working life. Social-policy questions, such as social security and welfare services promoting employment, are closely related to employment policy. The putting forward of these questions in connection with employment and economic policy has been given widespread support at the European Union level.

The Conference theme is part of the discussion this autumn on the joint employment report of 1999 as well as on the employment guidelines for the year 2000, which will be decided on during the Finnish Presidency. The Conference theme is topical all over Europe. Increasing the employment rate is a joint European goal. At the EU level, the reaching of the goal means especially the increasing of the employment rate of women, since their employment rate is 20 percentage units lower on average than that of men.

Poorly developed day care services are the worse impediments to women’s work attendance. The taxation and social security systems also may include disincentives which affect the job profitability of women and men in different ways. This question will also be discussed in the Conference.

Those invited to the Conference to be held at the Finlandia Hall include, apart from the ministers responsible for equality and labour affairs and Equality Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulous, representatives of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities and of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament, as well as the chairman of the EU’s Employment and Labour Market Committee, for whom we have reserved an opportunity to present their views. Other issues on the agenda include the role and responsibilities of labour market organizations in promoting gender equality.

The Conference will be chaired by Ms Eva Biaudet, the Minister responsible for equality affairs, and Ms. Sinikka Mönkäre, Minister of Labour. Altogether 11 ministers and 150 delegates will attend the Conference.