EU 'progressive force' for women

The European Union has been a continuously progressive force in the lives of Irish women, Labour deputy leader Joan Burton told a pro-Lisbon treaty meeting this morning.

Speaking at an event organised by the Charter Group, a pro-treaty organisation founded by trade unionists and left-leaning politicians, Ms Burton said many younger women took for granted the "really solid progress" the EU had instigated.

Since she got involved in politics, she found the EU to be "continuously a progressive force in the lives of Irish women seeking to improve conditions for themselves, their children, their families and their communities."

Ms Burton said the large-scale development of local women's development groups across the country in the late 1980s was encouraged by EU programmes, and that EU social funds gave the union a dimension that "wasn't simply about competition and free movement of goods and capital, but was also about people generally enjoying common benefits and common standards of living.

"That probably was the strongest progressive impulse in the late 1980s and the early 1990s in Ireland."

Ms Burton was joined by Senator Ivana Bacik, former senator Mary Henry and Labour councillor Maria Parodi, representing four generations of women endorsing a Yes vote in the referendum on Friday.

Dr Henry cited the importance of the 'equal pay' directive, which she said was an important victory for women and one that gave them greater confidence to push for further reform.

"That EU directive brought about the women's movement in this country, because we got galvanised when we saw we actually could win on issues, and it was the confidence we got from that that pushed so many issues forward," she said. "I think the main thing that the European Union did for women in this country was to give us confidence, because it gave us specific rights."

Ms Bacik, a vice-chair of the Charter Group, spoke of the importance of the 1996 parental rights directive, which brought about an improved quality of life for parents and their young children.

She also highlighted the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which would become legally binding with the adoption of the Lisbon treaty. "This charter sets out a wide range of human rights, including the right to gender equality. As a lawyer who works with the fundamental rights provisions of the Irish constitution in our own courts, I am very excited about the prospect of using this charter to increase the human rights protections of our citizens.

Encouraging younger women to vote yes, Maria Parodi said the treaty would enhance EU democracy. "At the local level, politics needs accountability, transparency and public consultation," she said. "Why should we expect anything different from the European level? That's what the Lisbon Treaty does. A Yes vote will secure a more open and democratic Europe."