TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

FOR WOMEN AND MEN

 

Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly

 

Synopsis No. 2000/167

16 November 2000

 

The Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, meeting in Helsinki on 13 and 14 November 2000 with Mrs Roudy (France, SOC) in the Chair:

 

-              Was received by the President of the Republic, Mrs Tarja HALONEN,

 

-              visited:

 

o      the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yleisradio,

 

o      AARIKKA Oy, a family enterprise focused on wood crafting,

 

as regards:

-              Domestic slavery (rapporteur: Mr Connor, Ireland, EPP/CD): considered an outline report;

 

-              Status of assisting spouses in family business (rapporteur: Ms Herczog, Hungary, SOC) : considered an outline report ;

 

-              Situation of refugee women in Kosovo (rapporteur: Mrs Poptodorova, Bulgaria, SOC): heard a statement by the rapporteur on her mission to Kosovo on 7 October 2000;

 

-              Conflict in the Chechen Republic - recent developments : held an exchange of views on the contribution of the Committee to the next Assembly debate on this matter;

 

-              National procedures for nominating candidates for election to the European Court of Human Rights: took note of the reply of the Committee of Ministers to the Assembly Recommendation 1429 (1999) ;

 

-              Conference of Parliamentary Committees responsible for Equality between women and men in the Member States of the European Union and of the European Parliament (Berlin, 17-18 November 2000) (representative: Mrs Err, Luxembourg, SOC): held an exchange of views on the amendments to be proposed to the Berlin Declaration;

 

-              The participation in meetings organised by other bodies, heard a statement by:

 

o      Mrs Poptodorova (Bulgaria, SOC) on the Information Forum on national policies in the field of equality between women and men “Human Rights of girls and young women in Europe: Questions and challenges for the 21^st century” (Bratislava, 19-21 October 2000);

 

-              Representatives to meetings organised by other committees : appointed:

o      Mr Neuwirth (France, EDG), at the Conference on “competitiveness and development: integration of the concept of equality between women and men” organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the OECD (Paris, 23-24 November 2000);

o      Mrs Poptodorova (Bulgaria, SOC) at the 21^st meeting of the Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men (CDEG) (Strasbourg, 29 November – 1^st December 2000);

-              The Finnish institutions and organisations involved in the promotion of equality between men and women : held an exchange of views with:

 

o      Mrs Sirkka-Liisa ANTTILA, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament,

o      Mrs Pirkko M�KINEN, Ombudsperson for Equality,

o      Mrs Paula KOKKONEN, Vice-Chairperson of the Network of  Finnish Women Members of Parliament,

 

-              Women as entrepreneurs: held an exchange of views with :

 

o      Mrs Ritva NYBERG, Managing Director of the Women’s Enterprise Agency,

o      Mrs Liisa NIILOLA, Executive Director of the Women’s Advisory Organisation for the Development of Rural Areas,

 

-              Women and media: held an exchange of views with :

o      Mrs P�ivi ISTALA, Finnish Broadcasting Company,

 

-              its next meetings: decided to meet as follows:

-   in Paris, on Tuesday 9 January 2001 at 10 am (Council of Europe Office) followed by a hearing on women and the media;

-      in Strasbourg, during the Assembly 2001 first part-session (22-26 January);

-      in Paris, on 7 or 9 March 2001 (Council of Europe Office) – date to be determined-;

-      in Strasbourg, during the Assembly 2001 second part-session (23-27 April);

-      in Istanbul, during the Spring session of the Assembly (21-23 May 2001).

 

Agn�s Nollinger