During the recent pan-European Conference on discrimination and equal opportunities, the European Commissioner for Social Affairs Vladimir Spidla and the German Minister for the Family Ursula von der Leyen inaugurated “2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for Everyone”. The EU initiative has the declared objective of “permitting the development of the potential and abilities of everyone”. In this regard, the EU institutions and the competent national and local authorities will organize a series of activities and events in the next twelve months on four main themes: reinforcing families: more children in families, more families in society; promoting equal opportunities for women and men in work and in the life of the family; experience forms the future: recognizing opportunities, using knowledge and experience, developing new markets; and commitment to equal opportunities and social participation for all children and youth. In particular, the Commission has announced the funding in collaboration with member states and local authorities of conferences, studies, opinion polls and debates open to the public.
