Let' start by some statements : on average women earn 15% less than men for the same work even if a 30 years old European directive and a 50 years old article in the EU Treaty call for equal pay; men very reluctantly accept part-time jobs, making their contribution to work-life balance insignificant; many executive job offers, including the ones in the European administration, would make it virtually impossible for a woman with three children, however educated and talented she is, to compete with a male candidate of the same age.
For these reasons, and many others, the EU will establish in 2007 a European Institute for Gender Equality, with the main task to reduce and finally eradicate gender equality in our societies, as well as promoting a 'gender sensitive' model elsewhere in the World.
Location: Vilnius. Cost: 52 Million Euro over a seven years period.
But here's the good thing for us to know : this Institute will be closely looked at, with the researchers feeling the breath of the MEP's and other actors involved in the Budgetary procedure, with a permanent fear : either you save the world or you are fired!
Indeed, a first decisive evaluation will take place after three years, which could lead to a decision to cancel the Institute if it fails to be up to the tasks, that neither society, politicians or ngo's could do in 50 years of European construction. Three years..., at that moment the Institute will have spent roughly 15% of its budget, mostly on building a network and ensuring regular heating supplies for the long and cold Lithuanians winters.
With such a display of good use of public money, one might ask if this tough line is applied to all EU activities...
Let's take the third budget of the EU, Research and Development, 53 Billion Euro, i.e. more than a thousand times bigger than the Institute. Allegedly, we need this programme to beat the crap out of Sino-Indian economies, in order to keep being number ones, after the US of course...
Did we ever try to put a number on direct and indirect benefits to the EU economy, let's say by calculating the money generated by a project that lead to a patent in biotechnologies? You know, just to check if what we finance actually brings something back to society in terms of well being and development... apparently, what matters for politicians, may they be pro or anti Europeans, is actually that all the money is spent on these budget lines. Nobody really bothers to look at what is the real output, every body wants to display figures that would make Saddam nostalgic : 99.8%! A real plebiscite...
One conclusion : to get more money, EU women MUST think Chinese, or eat more Tandoori...