WA6

EU rejects gender equality law

EU ministers have blocked a proposed gender equality law, which would rule out the use of gender as a factor in the provision of goods and services.

The plans were drawn up by the European Commission in a bid to rule out sex discrimination.

Currently, women receive cheaper motor insurance, as statistically they have fewer and less serious car accidents than men, but conversely they pay higher pension and health cover premiums because they live longer than men.

The new law would mean that gender could no longer be taken into account when calculating such contributions.

However, the insurance industry has warned that the proposals would damage competitiveness and could lead to higher premiums for both men and women.

A number of countries have opposed the plans, including the UK, Ireland, France and Finland.

Frank Fahey, Irish minister for labour affairs, and EU president-in-chief, said, 'The Irish presidency has made several proposals, one of which is to find good, comprehensive, statistical data which justifies the difference between men and womens' insurance premiums'.

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