Vol. 576 No. 1
170 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the draft constitutional treaty does not include gender equality among the values of the European Union, and among its objectives the elimination of inequalities and the promotion of equality between women and men. [29029/03]
The draft constitutional treaty prepared by the convention includes "equality" as one of the Union's values in Article I-2. At the Intergovernmental Conference, the Presidency has taken up a Swedish proposal to make clear that this encompasses equality between men and women, and this has received general support, including from Ireland. The Union's objectives in Article I-3 of the draft require that it shall "combat social exclusion and discrimination, and shall promote social justice and protection, equality between men and women, solidarity between generations and promotion of children's rights".
