Equal opportunities programs in the Member States of the European Community (EC) are based on international law, EC law, and various legal provisions at the national level. Two main types of positive action can be identified among the various initiatives implemented in the different Member States: (1) governmental promotion of positive actions through legislation and agencies; and (2) creation of an infrastructure. Companies surveyed stress the importance of continuing vocational training for personnel, but the vast majority of trainees are men. Companies can be grouped into three types depending on their personnel and equal opportunities policies: (1) firms that follow recommendations and national legislation; (2) companies with no specific positive action program that apply the principle as a company, organizational, and personnel policy; and (3) companies that develop and implement a positive action program. The players involved have varying importance in terms of their tasks, strategies, and negotiating capacity; key protagonists are the company, women, promoters, and support mechanisms of the positive action. Training programs can be classified as insertion; retraining or reskilling; and promotion, development, and preparation for management. The effects produced by the positive actions are more training for women, a new sense of legitimacy for equal opportunities policy, and increased occupational visibility for women. (Appendixes include evaluation guidelines, 15 references, and a list of companies visited.) (YLB)