The European Parliament has rejected a budget amendment by Connaught Ulster MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon on EU funding of womens organisations. However, Dana's group, the European People's Party has said that it will seek to include the amendment in the 2001 budget. The amendment was intended to open up access to EU funding for women's groups. At the moment, one organisation, the European Womens lobby, received 600,000 Euros a year. The lobby runs an office in Brussels with a staff of 10 and represents 3000 womens organisations across Europe. Dana claims this represents a monopoly in EU funding, and sought to extend funding to another womens organisation, the Worldwide motherhood movement.
The Parliament's budget committee originally accepted the amendment but after intense lobbying by the Parliament's Womens Rights Committee, it was dropped. Ms Scallon's party, the European People's Party had tried to secure a last minute compromise but this was rejected by the other groups. As a result, the European Womens Lobby retains its funding of 600,000 Euros and Dana's amendment was removed from the agenda, despite protests by British Conservaiteve MEP's. However, the European People's Party, which is the biggest group in parliament, unanimously agreed to raise the issue of monopoly funding in the 2001 budget and to seek extra funding for groups other than the Euorpean's Womens lobby.
