Across the EU girls and women enjoy varying degrees of equality. The ECR’s policy on women’s rights focuses on empowering women through different means, focusing on achieving protection for women from physical and sexual violence.

MAIN ECR PRIORITIES

Across the EU girls and women enjoy varying degrees of equality. The ECR’s policy on women’s rights focuses on empowering women through different means, focusing on achieving protection for women from physical and sexual violence. Rather than rules, regulations and sanctions we encourage companies to make the workplace as flexible and family-friendly as possible. The European Union must lead by example and facilitate exchange of useful practices among the Member States and not seek to impose complex targets on Member States when their own institutions lack the capacity to reach these targets.

Women with children

We advocate the importance of maternity and paternity leave and we recognise that the Member State is best placed to propose maternity and paternity leave policies. We have opposed several legislative proposals because we believe that they would reduce a woman’s right to choose what is right for her and her family and would offer a less flexible work/life arrangement. The ECR group believes that member states need to develop policies which suit the needs of the differing populations across the EU.

Women in business

The ECR has successfully worked alongside women in the community to bring about change which really affects women’s lives. In the past, we have campaigned to improve women’s access to micro-loans and we continue to encourage women to become entrepreneurs. The ECR supports voluntary measures to get more women into company boards and into senior leadership roles with business.

Protecting women

The ECR group seeks promote women’s right to equal opportunities. We have acted in the areas where we believe the EU has a role to play: the ECR group is proud to protect women in extremely vulnerable situations and stands up to eradicate all types of discrimination and violence against women, including sexual abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriages, so-called honour crimes, the commercial sexual exploitation of women. The ECR stands strongly to ensure that women who are victims to all sorts of violence have access to an adequate standard of healthcare and emotional support.

Women at disadvantage

We recognize that women and girls with disabilities are at greater risk of violence, abuse and negligent treatment, especially in institutionalised settings. We stand strongly to tackle the issue of poverty among older women, single mothers, women with disabilities, migrant women and women from minorities. We support Member States to implement effective, inclusive policies and to make more efficient use of EU’s social policy resources; at the same time we also recognise the need of Member States to coordinate their own policies without interference of the European Parliament in areas where it has no subsidiarity.

MEMBERS

ECR Members of the FEMM Committee:

– Beatrix von STORCH (DE), Committee Vice-Chairman and ECR Coordinator
– Jadwiga WIŚNIEWSKA (PL), ECR Deputy Coordinator
– Jana ŽITŇANSKÁ (SK)

Substitute Members:

– Branislav ŠKRIPEK (SK)
– Arne GERICKE (DE)
– Julie GIRLING (UK)