Gender equality is one of the fundamental values that underpin the European Union. In an effort to incorporate make this ambition a reality in the everyday lives of European citizens, policy-makers hence strive continuously to eliminate any type of prejudice or gender-related discrimination within the community. Over the past decades, these efforts have lead to significant progress in bringing about a more equal society. Despite these advancements, however, the EU still has a long way to go in order to fully satisfy its ambitions.  

In order to tackle the remaining inequalities between men and women within the community, the EU is approaching the issue from different angles, with a range of different measures. Besides passing legislation that specifically stipulates the equal treatment of men and women, it actively promotes the concept of "gender mainstreaming". This means that gender-related considerations should be incorporated into the various policies of the EU. In addition, specific measures are taken that aim to foster the progress of women.

In March 2010, the European Commission issued a so-called "Women's Charter" as part of its ongoing effort to enhance gender equality. This Charter was published a few days ahead of the 2010 International Women's Day and served as a reminder of the Commission's commitment towards this cause, setting out the priority areas of action. In this Charter, the Commission further announced the creation of a "strategy for equality between men and women", which was subsequently adopted in September of that same year.

This strategy covers the period from 2010 to 2015 and ties in with the priorities laid out in the Women's Charter, proposing concrete actions that will be taken in order to tackle remaining issues of gender inequality. The goals is sets out include fostering economic independence for men and women, the promotion of equal pay for equal work as well as ensuring more equality in decision-making positions.

Economic independence is seen as a vital factor when it comes to ensuring that citizens can take control over their own lives and choices.  To date, certain barriers exist that stand in the way of achieving this, such as the difficulties that women can face when trying to combine parenthood and a career. This Commission hence aims to alleviate these concerns, for instance by addressing issues such as family-related leave or childcare facilities.

In order to improve gender equality within the labour market the Commission is aware that it must promote the principe of equal pay for equal work. Differences still exist between the pay that women and men receive respectively. This discrepancy is commonly known as the "gender pay gap" and it means that women often earn less than men. This phenomenon is said to be partly due to the fact that more women work in sectors that are traditionally lower-paid and that they are often employed on part-time or fixed-term contracts due to care obligations they may have.

In response to this issue, the Commission aims to provide more transparency with regard to earnings and employment situations and explore ways of ironing out any discrepancies that can arise as a result of part-time work or fixed-term contracts. In addition to this, a "European Equal Pay Day" is to be held each year to raise awareness for gender-related inequalities in the workspace.

Further actions to be taken under this strategy include efforts to ensure that women can play a more important role in decision-making processes, in order to address gender imbalances that currently exist within higher ranks of employment. In addition, the European Commission also envisages to extend its ambitions beyond the borders of the European Union. This is done through the European Neighbourhood Policy and by ensuring that any country wishing to join the EU adopts the principles that the community sets out.

In August of 2012, the EU launched a new programme that aims to further increase gender equality, which goes by the name ‘Equality Pays Off’. The rationale behind this campaign is that many companies still fail to utilise womens' skills to their full potential. This initiative hence strives to provide better support to companies when assessing the skills of female employees and to encourage the reduction of gender pay gaps. This programme aims to achieve its goals through workshops, offering useful insights into gender equality and practical manuals that set out innovative ways of utilising the skills of female employees.

The issue of gender equality is as relevant today as it was back in the 1950s, when elements of it were first enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. It has since been reinforced and extended through the various initiatives the EU has taken over the past decades to promote a more equal society. The European Union can hence look back on a track-record of commitments made to ensure equal conditions for men and women within this community -- an endeavour that it will certainly be pursuing in the future in order to create a level playing field for all European citizens alike.  

David Casa is a Nationalist MEP