European & International News

International news globe All the latest news from the European Union, its member states, and beyond.

European & International News
Reding continues push for 40 per cent gender quota

Posted on 8 November 2012 |

[Brussels, 08 November 2012] EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding will continue to push for a 40 per cent quota of women on company boards in the latest version of her proposed legislation, a parliament roundtable has heard. Ruth Marsden from [The Parliament Magazine ->http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/reding-continues-push-for-40-per-cent-gender-quota reports.
"I am not a fan of quotas, but I like what quotas do," the Luxembourgish official said.
The (...) Read more
European & International News
ILO recalls the importance of gender equality for girl children

Posted on 6 November 2012 |

[Brussels, 06 November 2012] Investing in the girl child’s education has long been recognised as pivotal for her future but also for the benefit of society as a whole. However, girls’ education is still not a priority in many parts of the world. The 1999 International Labour Organisation’s Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, is unfortunately still actual in its request for member states to protect girl children from child labour. Nowadays, in fact, 88 million girl children are exploited (...) Read more
European & International News
"Men only" ECB rejected by MEPs

Posted on 25 October 2012 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 25 October 2012] On Thursday MEPs gave a final thumbs down to the Council’s intransigence in failing to commit to a better gender balance within what is effectively Europe’s most powerful financial institution, the European Central Bank. By a narrow margin, the plenary confirmed the rejection of candidate ECB Executive Board member Yves Mersch, as recommended by the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. MEPs had been hoping that European Council President (...) Read more
European & International News
Missing proposal for women quotas is denying democratic debate, says Gustafsson

Posted on 23 October 2012 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 23 October 2012] Women’s Rights Committee Chair Mikael Gustafsson (GUE/NGL, Sweden) has expressed his disappointment at news the European Commission will not publish proposals today to introduce mandatory quotas for women on the boards of big companies, as was widely anticipated.
"The Commission’s failure to propose quotas for women on company boards today is deeply disappointing. While the Commission holds these proposals back, the EU is being denied the (...) Read more
European & International News
Economics MEPs denounce member states’ repeated disregard for gender balance

Posted on 22 October 2012 |

[European Parliament, 22 October 2012] The economic and monetary affairs committee voted on Monday to express its dissatisfaction with member states for repeatedly refusing to recognise the need for a better gender balance within the European Central Bank (ECB). It adopted a negative opinion on the appointment of the ECB executive board member candidate Yves Mersch.
The resolution explains that the European Parliament has been regularly and insistently raising the issue of gender equality (...) Read more
European & International News
Dublin skyline says ’Turn Off the Red Light’

Posted on 22 October 2012 |

[Dublin, 22 October 2012] Ireland’s [“Turn Off the Red Light->http://www.turnofftheredlight.ie” campaign which is seeking legislation targeting sex buyers has literally taken its message to the skies of Dublin, with a banner dominating the city centre.
Commuters crossing one of Dublin’s busiest bridges and on the main route to the Airport all pass the banner which focuses on the age girls enter prostitution with the catch line “Anna was 14”. Passers by are guided to Facebook, Twitter #Annawas14 (...) Read more
European & International News
UN calls for action to end violence against women with disabilities

Posted on 17 October 2012 |

[Brussels, 17 October 2012] According to the 2011 World Report on Disability of the World Health Organization and World Bank, approximately 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. Figures show that women constitute a disproportionate number of disabled persons due to the effects of widespread violence against women. In addition, women with disabilities are often victims of further violence.
During the last UN General Assembly, held in New York from 18 September to (...) Read more
European & International News
Inclusion of women essential to long-lasting peace

Posted on 15 October 2012 |

[Brussels, 15 October 2012] MEPs heard last week how it is essential for women to be included in peace processes and in post-conflict decision-making. The conference, entitled “Equal Power – Lasting Peace: Conference on women and conflict resolution” and organised by Kvinna till Kvinna, a Swedish grass-roots organisation which supports women in war and conflict zones, was attended by a number of members of parliament, including Mikael Gustafsson, Chair of the Women’s Rights and Gender (...) Read more
European & International News
Sex, Stereotypes and Beauty: The ABCs and Ds of Commercial Images of Women

Posted on 15 October 2012 |

[Brussels, 15 October 2012] Love Your Body Day is celebrating its 15th year of empowering events. Since 1998, NOW Foundation’s annual event promoting positive body images has taken place each fall — this year on Oct. 17. The Love Your Body campaign was created as a response to media portrayals of women and girls, particularly in advertising, that promote narrow and unhealthy ideals of beauty. Through Love Your Body Day, women and girls are encouraged to talk back to the media, to demand (...) Read more
European & International News
EU wins Noble Peace Prize

Posted on 12 October 2012 |

[Brussels, 12 October 2012] The European Union has today been awarded the most prestigious international prize for contributions to world peace, the Nobel Peace Prize. The award was given in recognition of the EU’s role in bringing democracy to a war-ravaged continent and in reconciling France and Germany. At the award ceremony in Oslo, Thorbjørn Jagland, head of the Oslo-based Nobel Committee, said that the award was a reminder to Europe not to throw away the fruits of 60 years of (...) Read more