Plaid Cymru the Party of Wales' European Leader is addressing a major conference in Bulgaria today (Thursday 22 November), in which she will highlight progress towards achieving equality.

Jill Evans MEP, who is also Plaid Cymru International Affairs Spokesperson, is speaking on behalf of the Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities Committee of the European Parliament in an International Parliamentarian Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The conference is organised by the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation and members of the Bulgarian Parliament, Bulgarian non-governmental organisation and academic institutes will be participating.

Jill Evans, who represents the whole of Wales in the European Parliament, said:

"I will be speaking on the aims and work of the Women's Committee and the opportunities and requirements for accession countries with regard to gender equality.

"One of our goals is increasing the representation of women in decision-making, and interestingly enough, in the June 2001 parliamentary elections in Bulgaria the percentage of women members increased from 10.8% to 26% - a higher percentage than in the current UK Parliament.

"I will also be talking about the participation of women in conflict resolution and peacemaking, the principle of equal pay, the elimination of violence against women and children, and stopping the trafficking in women. Our other goals are the equal participation of women in new technologies and information, and a decrease in the gender gap in unemployment by 50%.

"The conference will provide an opportunity to compare structures and measures to promote gender equality and learn lessons from one another"

Ends.