Mumsnet goes to the European Parliament: your thoughts?

[KateMumsnet]

To mark the centenary of International Women's Day, Mumsnet has been invited to the EU Parliament for a rummage about. So we're off to Strasbourg, in a (possibly doomed) attempt to figure out what impact, if any, this labyrinthine institution has had on the equality of women here in the UK.

We'll be sitting in on a special IWD parliamentary session, where MEPs will be discussing what's been achieved to date to further women's equality across Europe, and debating what the next steps should be. The gender pay gap, the vexed issue of maternity leave, the lack of female decision-makers in business and politics, and the grim figures for female poverty across the EU are all on the agenda.

We'll be frantically trying to make sense of it all as the day unfolds; and with a bit of luck and a following wind we'll collar a couple of MEPs and policy bods along the way to answer your questions, and feed back your views.

So, whether you're entirely au fait with the EU's inner workings, or your heart sinks at the very thought of it, do post your questions, observations, gripes or suggestions here, and we'll try our best to get to the bottom of it all.

How much is it costing the taxpayer to send MNHQ to Strasbourg? Likewise the other organisations who are going on this jolly?

Can I add my voice to Leningrad's? The conviction rape for rape is incredibly low in this country. If Europe cares about equality why aren't they doing something about this shameful state of affairs instead of buggering about banning Sheila's Wheels?

Apols for radio silence, am posting with thumbs from iPhone and having to stand on a chair to get a signal
RedbinD - I don't think either of the Kinnocks have any official connection to the EU any more? in which case they?re no longer receiving payments from European institutions. But yes, a common criticism of the EU is that there's a democratic deficit there, in that commissioners are appointed rather than elected (think I'm right in saying that Kinnock was appointed by the Major government.)

Glenys was elected as an MEP to the EU Parliament ? and although proposed legislation has to be passed by the Parliament in order to become law, that body doesn?t have the powers of a standard national parliament in that it can only accept, reject or amend legislation, rather than proposing it (only the unelected European Commission can do that). As far as I can work out the best it can do in that regard is pass resolutions ? more on the specific resolutions tabled for Tuesday's IWD session later.

I?ll see if I can get anyone to address these points while I?m there Lots of other points to chew over here, thanks all.

Lenin

as if by magic, also on the agenda for the IWD session is a blimmin topical call for member states to ?take effective measures, such as quotas, to ensure greater representation for women in major listed companies and on the management boards of companies in general?.

In case you missed it, Lord Davies reported back to govt this week on the the representation of women in boardrooms (only 12% of FTSE 100 directors are women) but concluded that increased transparency in the recruitment process, rather than Norwegian-style mandatory quotas, was the way to go.

This puts him at odds with the way the EU wind is generally blowing: France and Spain are thinking about legislating for quotas, and Angela Merkel has given German companies "one last chance" to self-regulate.

Deutsche Bank?s chief exec apparently responded that a woman would make his board "more colourful and prettier", exposing the shocking fact that not everyone in power has quite got this equality lark.

Actually, this session is shaping up to be quite interesting...

It has been a long hard fight for women to have even a slight voice within politics, I personally would like to know what provisions are going to be made to invite the female politicians of the future into this arena. I have two daughters and their role models are few and far between politically, they are both interested in varying degrees in this debate.

Shezzle, I think that is on the agenda for the parliamentary session on Tues, so I'll let you know.

Right, looks like I?m going to be speaking to two MEPs about the Pregnant Worker?s Directive, amongst other things - Mary Honeyball and Marina Yannakoudalis . Both voted against the directive ? Marina gives her reasons here, and Mary makes her case here.

As I've already banged on about, the EU Parliament overall voted in favour; the legislation is now before the Council of Ministers who look likely to reject it (both Parliament and the Council have to pass legislation for it to be enacted.) I?ll be asking Marina and Mary what they?d like to see in place of the PWD ? any other points of view you?d like to get across?

Another question: twice this week I?ve been asked who my MEP was, and I?m ashamed to admit I had NO IDEA. An entirely unrepresentative poll of the next ten people I spoke to revealed that 90% of my acquaintance are equally in the dark.

So ? any idea who your MEP is, and where they stand on the issues you?re interested in? UK turnout for Euro elections hasn?t got above 40% in thirty years, so if you don?t, you?re not alone.

Good points. There isn't currently true flexible working. I'm a single parent and I have no idea how I am going to manage during school hols when the dc's start school. I used to work for local government who and everyone had flexi-time so it was ideal for parents. My new job doesn't have flexi and is not child / parent friendly.

And, yes, they could do with supporting single mothers a hell of a lot more. The current reduction in childcare tax credits and plans to charge for the CSA are just another way of trampling people at the bottom.

god it makes me mad. raising the full pay maternity leave to 20 weeks is NOTHING.

piss off about 'crippling' small businesses and the public purse, the thing that cripples society is that we get it totally and utterly wrong in terms of early care, best given by one of the parents. maternity leave should be interchangeable with paternity and should be for a year. so a couple can decide between them which one stays at home or divide it up: say the mother stays for 6 months (breastfeeding hopefully :o) and the father does the second six months. both on full pay.

give small businesses more tax breaks to compensate, in fact the state should reward employers that give big time maternity/paternity leave and flexible working practice.

I'm fairly disgusted at the two mps that have tried to block this legislation.

the issue is about choice. at the moment neither mothers nor fathers have proper choice about who cares for their offspring, and govts should do all they can to encourage PARENTS to do so, both parents.

our macho bullshit work all hours culture is NOT reflected by productivity and it needs to change.

and our 'get mothers back to work asap' culture is BS too.

katemumsnet, get out there and promote positive parenting, happy parents are more productive and that involves the state and europe doing it all it can to encourage parents to be with their babies to 2 years old.

Agree with sophable. I want to know what the EU is going to do to incentivise men to be able to share in the childcare, particularly the extended maternity/parental leave. In Sweden they've mandated that the woman must take the month before due date off and that the man/non-pregnant partner must take 3 months of the shared leave off.

I don't know who my MEP is, so I'd certainly like to know what he or she is doing for me!

Also if you got a chance to bang the Fish Fight drum I'm sure they'd be very pleased!

Meglet and swallowedafly: Barbara Matera is an Italian MEP who?s Vice-Chair of the Women's Rights Committee. She?s preparing a report on the situation of single mothers in the European Union ? I?ll try and get in touch with her.

Sophable, Tribpot: your points all noted - thanks very much.

And just came across something going on right now which neatly illustrates both the complexity of European law-making, and the possibility of influencing EU legislation via your MEP. It?s about the claims that manufacturers can make about the health benefits of follow-on milk. Bear with me, friends ? it?s looong and involves Committees, Resolutions and Directives.

So. In December the EU Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health (an EU Commission body, so not elected) decided to let manufacturers of follow-on formula milk claim in adverts etc that DHA (a fatty-acid found in breastmilk and added to follow-on formulas and baby foods) will improve babies' eyesight.

DHA has a proven role in the development of babies? eyesight when it occurs naturally in breastmilk, but independent reviews found 'no proven benefit' to DHA when added to follow-on milk. Baby Milk Action (predictably, they?re against these claims) has an example of how one manufacturer is using them in ads, on [[http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:SCit5CX1NUEJ:info.babymilkaction.org/sites/info.babymilkaction.org/files/DHA%2520FINAL.pdf+10+reasons+to+stop+this+DHA+claim&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiALM943SGsy_iHrJomc98a3B-0r-httDRabYmD3brJ8M0oyr0gHpRiRc22FiL80Ssrx8ibzS2f7XHY4o8I9lSKymmGNvwIYroBrQEmNIQohUipP_Fz8sM4TOCNKPnoYHMlmjoG&sig=AHIEtbSvFPn7RISOxChOdZEEvbXZ9_pHBg
their site]].

The meeting which decided this took place behind closed doorts - in 1989 Parliament was stripped of its responsibility to legislate on baby foods by the PARNUTS Directive, which transferred this power to the European Commission. So there?s now no automatic requirement to consult parliament at all on this kind of thing.

But four MEPs have tabled a Resolution objecting to allowing the industry to make this claim. ENVI (the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety) is holding an 'extraordinary meeting' this Monday to consider it, and if they vote to support it on 16th of March, it will be go before all MEPs in April, and could be overturned. And in June, MEPs will be considering whether to bring baby food legislation back within their remit.

So, as an example, if you felt strongly about these particular issues, you could lobby your MEP (it?s not something that your MP would be able to impact I don't think ? too late once it?s been passed) about both the claims themselves, and the fact that baby food legislation isn?t subject to EU scrutiny. They?ll probably be so surprised to hear from you that they?ll immediately do what you say .

With a bit of luck I?m going to be meeting Glenis Willmott, who?s one of the MEPs tabling the resolution - and Marina Yannakoudalis is on the ENVI committee for the Conservatives, so do shout if you?ve got suggestions or questions.

Forgot to mention that my guilt at not knowing who my MEP is led me to this site which has a list of 'em all.

An embarrassment of riches, Len.

I'm now worrying about what to wear. Yes, I am that shallow.

Think the best thing to do would be to start a thread in Campaigns, swallowedAfly. See if you can get a groundswell of support?

"Lord Davies reported back to govt this week on the the representation of women in boardrooms (only 12% of FTSE 100 directors are women) but concluded that increased transparency in the recruitment process, rather than Norwegian-style mandatory quotas, was the way to go."

WHy not both? Do they not want women to be equal or something? Wait, don't answer that...!
Sorry for bitterness I think the concept of quotas needs to be pushed hard otherwise it's going to be 400 years until women will be fully represented politically at the current rate of change.