Gender equality in the European Employment Strategy

Employment policy coordination at the European Union (EU) level has been in place since 1997, when the European Employment Strategy (EES) was launched, and it has been influential in shaping policy thinking and inducing governments to implement policy reforms in labor market policies. The promotion of female employment, gender equality, and equal opportunities was a key component of the EES, certainly in its initial phase. The EU commitment to promoting gender equality was strengthened when member states agreed to coordinate their employment policy via the Open Method of Coordination (OMC).