More than 200 people witnessed the launch of the Charter of Intents for Equal Citizenship at the conference “Men and Gender Equality in Europe” organised by the European Movement International (EMI) at the European Economic and Social Committee.

“Gender equality is central to the achievement of the European Union’s goals on rights, democracy, solidarity, cohesion and competitiveness”, stated Pat Cox, the President of the EMI, in his opening address.

“The concept is undergoing a transformation from being an almost exclusive and essentially isolated women’s issue, driven by and for women, to a more inclusive societal perspective where men are no less central to its elaboration and achievement.”

“This is why the campaign that the EMI has led, adopted an innovative approach and took men as the necessary driving force towards more equal societies”, Pat Cox concluded his remarks.

Vladimir Spidla, the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities strongly emphasized “the leadership that the European Union (EU) has shown in adopting legislation promoting equal opportunities for women and men.” He presented the Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010 and particularly stressed the importance of its goals for the achievement of full equality as a fundamental value of the EU.

About the campaign:

The Pariteia campaign aimed to create a bridge between European gender policies and active European citizenship in order to establish a European citizenship based on the active participation of women and men in all social, political and professional activities.

The campaign was supported by the European Community – Programme relating to the Community Framework Strategy on Gender Equality (2001–2005) and focused on gender equality practices in five European countries (Italy, Spain, Poland, Latvia and the Netherlands) using a strong network of numerous and varied partners. The campaign began in December 2005 and will be concluded in January 2007.