The Greek Secretary General for Gender Equality, Ms Vasso KOLLIA presented, in Brussels on 22.1.2014, the priorities of the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU in relation to gender equality before the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) of the European Parliament. The Presidency Action Plan focuses on the field “Women and the Economy”.

The Presidency has identified the following priorities for the semester:
•    European-level coordination on gender mainstreaming. A meeting of the High Level Group on Gender Mainstreaming is planned for 6-7 February in Athens
•    The promotion of women’s economic rights and independence, including access to employment, appropriate working conditions and control over economic resources. The status of female employment in the European Union is depicted in the survey implemented by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), which is scheduled to be presented in Athens 6-7 February. In addition, on 27-28 February a consultation meeting is organized in Athens by EIGE aiming to encourage exchanges of good practice in the field of female entrepreneurship.
•    The promotion of digital economy as a high-opportunity employment field for women. Presentation of the initiative coordinated in Greece by the General Secretariat for Gender Equality “Digital Coalition for Women’s Employment”.
•    The continuation of the awareness-raising campaign on preventing and combating violence against women. A targeted event is jointly organised by the Greek Presidency / General Secretariat for Gender Equality and the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on 5 March in Brussels.
•    The advancement of legislative initiatives aiming to promote de facto gender equality. The Greek Presidency is drafting Conclusions in the field “Women and the Economy”, expected to be adopted by the Employment and Social Policy Council (EPSCO), while the Justice and Home Affairs Council is foreseen to adopt Conclusions on violence against women.
•    The strategic “alliance” with young people for a de facto equality between women and men. A Pan-European Youth Event is scheduled for 10 - 13 March in Thessaloniki in cooperation with EIGE and as part of the event framework “Thessaloniki –European Capital for Youth 2014”.