Our second panel includes Daniel Banks as an individual, and Gordon Tapp from the committee for creation of a national laboratory at Chalk River.

10. Draws attention to the fact that part-time employment (19,2 % of total employment in the EU in 2010) is still a predominantly female domain; notes that in the EU in 2010 31,9 % of the female workforce was in part-time employment, compared with just 8,7 % of the male population, meaning that 78 % of part-time work is carried out by women; points out that in the EU as a whole 19 % of women and 7 % of men work ‘short’ part-time hours (fewer than 20 hours a week) and only 3 % of men aged between 35 and 49 are on ‘short’ part-time ho ...[+++]urs, compared with 18 % of women in the same age group; notes also that part-time jobs are found mostly in specific sectors, with more than 38 % of part-time workers, including those on both ‘short’ and ‘substantial’ hours (i.e. between 20 and 34 hours a week), being employed in education, health and social services, other services or retail and wholesale;

10. Draws attention to the fact that part-time employment (19.2 % of total employment in the EU in 2010) is still a predominantly female domain; notes that in the EU in 2010 31.9 % of the female workforce was in part-time employment, compared with just 8.7 % of the male population, meaning that 78 % of part-time work is carried out by women; points out that in the EU as a whole 19 % of women and 7 % of men work ‘short’ part-time hours (fewer than 20 hours a week) and only 3 % of men aged between 35 and 49 are on ‘short’ part-time ho ...[+++]urs, compared with 18 % of women in the same age group; notes also that part-time jobs are found mostly in specific sectors, with more than 38 % of part-time workers, including those on both ‘short’ and ‘substantial’ hours (i.e. between 20 and 34 hours a week), being employed in education, health and social services, other services or retail and wholesale;

15. Points out that, as a consequence of the economic crisis, unemployment and social hardship are still increasing in a number of Member States and affect young and old people, men and women and their families differently, and therefore calls on the European Union and Member States to reinforce their commitment and take specific measures to eradicate poverty and combat social exclusion, particularly poverty among women and its direct impact on family life, as poverty and social exclusion constitute a violation of human rights and affect at least one in six European citizens; calls on the Commission and the Member States to put specific emphasis on the most vulnerable groups (single-p ...[+++]arent households, families with three or more children, disabled people, ethnic minorities, especially the Roma, people living in the most disadvantaged microregions, people with decreased work capacity and young people without work experience); believes that access to education and the labour market and participation in society are needed for a decent life; calls on the European Union and Member States to ensure that measures are taken to eradicate child poverty and that all children have equal opportunities in life;

Under the proposed dispute settlement process, the setting up of ad hoc NAFO panels could be blocked if objecting members found enough allies, which would be easier to do under a two-thirds voting rule ([96]) The decisions of ad hoc panels appear to have no legal force to overrule or suspend objections, and could lead to further Fisheries Commission meetings whose decisions could again be open to objections.

Both the rapporteur and all the political groups showed willing, although it was difficult to strike a balance between the ambitious objectives set by the European Union for women's employment and the quality of jobs, the already high acquis communautaire on equal treatment for men and women and the exceptional, high-level performance by certain Member States which have gone beyond the proposals for the directive (Mrs Karamanou and Mrs Smet referred to experiences in Greece and Belgium) and the real need to maintain flexibility and the status of female employment during a downswing in the economy and on the ...[+++]labour market, help speed up cooperation with the Council and the European Commission and avoid overburdening the text with important women's issues such as equal pay, which are dealt with elsewhere, and achieve the consensus and majority needed.