Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 15 January 2009 - Strasbourg

Explanations of vote

Text tabled : A6-0491/2008

  Philip Claeys (NI). – (NL) Mr President, I cannot identify with Mrs Riera Madurell’s report, and not because I am opposed to the principle of gender equality. Quite the contrary, of course, but the problem with this report, and all similar reports, in fact, in this politically correct House, is its patronising tone. How could one possibly applaud the reversal of the burden of proof, for example, even though it is a key principle of the rule of law that people should be proven guilty instead of innocent?

Why are businesses saddled with the annual obligation to submit a business plan for gender equality? This is very patronising, burdening businesses, as it does, with bureaucratic nonsense simply to hammer home a number of principles that are universally accepted but are not always easy to implement in practice. How can we force a business to recruit equal numbers of men and women instead of simply looking at who is most suited for the job?