WRITTEN QUESTION P-0404/00 by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Equal treatment for men and women.
C 280 E/212 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 10. 2000 (2000/C 280 E/251) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0404/00 by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Equal treatment for men and women (8 February 2000) According to the Eurostat report for 1999, it will be a long time before women at the European workplace obtain the same remuneration as men, conditions for Greek women being the least favourable among those of women in Europe. What measures will the Commission take to secure compliance with, and implementation of, the principle of equality and equal remuneration for men and women doing the same or equivalent jobs in all Member States, particularly in Greece? Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (1 March 2000) The principle of equal pay for male and female workers for the same work or work of equal value has been laid down in Community law since the Treaty of Rome (Article 141 (ex-Article 119) of the EC Treaty). It was also the subject of a specific directive, Council Directive 75/117/EEC of 10 February 1975 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women (1), which was transposed in all the Member States, including Greece. These various provisions resulted in an extensive case law of the Court of Justice, which gave a very wide interpretation of the concept of ápayí. Despite these provisions and case law it is well known, as the Honourable Member emphasised, that pay inequalities between men and women are still considerable. That is why the Commission adopted a Code of Conduct in 1996 with the aim of improving conditions in order to ensure equal pay. This Code is meant to be instrumental in promoting the principle of equal pay in practice. The Commission would also point out that the Court has recognised for quite some time that Article 141 of the EC Treaty has direct effect, enabling any female worker who considers herself to be a victim of discrimination to refer to this article before a national court. Consequently, as a result of the current problems, and taking into consideration all the juridical guarantees already afforded by Community law, the Commission does not envisage at present any other legislative initiatives with regard to the principle of equal pay. The Commission would, however, once again like to point out to the Honourable Member that since 1999 the objective to reduce pay inequalities between men and women has been an integral part of the guidelines for the Member Statesí employment policies. Within this context, the latter have undertaken to adopt measures aimed at promoting equal pay for men and women. (1) OJ L 45, 19. 2. 1975. (2000/C 280 E/252) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0413/00 by Struan Stevenson (PPE-DE) to the Commission (9 February 2000) Subject: French lorry driversí industrial action Industrial action by French lorry drivers is severely threatening Scottish fishermen, as the goods need to reach their market in fresh condition, preferably within hours of being caught. Once again, however, the French Government seems to sit idly by while the British rural community suffers