Stories of #WomenForEurope

  • Małgorzata Tarasiewicz

    Małgorzata Tarasiewicz

    "I have been an activist in oppositional movement to communism in the ’80s then in Amnesty International and in feminist organisations. Politics came as a natural consequence. In recent years our local governments in Sopot and Gdańsk have not been responsive to our suggestions, actions and campaigns. Politicians were not listening to people’s voices and concerns. They are destroying the ecological system, listening to demands of developers and not from the people. Not to mention the neglect (...) Read more

  • Sirpa Pietikäinen

    Sirpa Pietikäinen

    "Politics is my passion. I look at it as my way of taking responsibility, and of caring. I was 16 years old, when I joined the Youth of the National Coalition Party. I was 24 years old when I was elected Member of Parliament and just over 30 years old when I became Minister for the Environment. I was a Member of Parliament for 20 years and now I have been a Member of the European Parliament for over 10 years. I do this work with all my heart and full commitment. The challenges I have faced (...) Read more

  • Soraya Post

    Soraya Post

    "I have always been a human rights activist. I founded several NGOs, I have been working at national level as an advisor to government bodies in Sweden, and on European level as advisor to the Council of Europe and the European Commission regarding the Roma issues. I have devoted my life to working with issues regarding human rights by focusing on the empowerment of Romani women and the self-determination of the Romani society.
    I was approach by a couple of political parties to join them (...) Read more

  • Christine Revault d’Allonnes-Bonnefoy

    Christine Revault d'Allonnes-Bonnefoy

    "I turned 18 the exact day the Berlin wall fell. I will never forget those images full of excitement. At last the division of Europe was over. What would be the next stage for Europe after the last symbol of division was finally destroyed? I have been deeply marked by this event, which I considered as the first step of my political commitment. I thought that everything was possible; the power of change was really in our hands. A few years later, I had my first child while in university. I (...) Read more

  • Irina Onescu

    Irina Onescu

    "I had never considered politics as a career choice until about two years ago. In October 2015, the devastating Club Colectiv fire, that claimed the lives of more than 60 young people, became a turning point for many of my generation, myself included. Corruption and political neglect were threatening our hopes for a brighter future and something had to be done in order to change this dangerous downward path Romania was on. That is when I decided to run for mayor in the small rural community (...) Read more

  • Terry Reintke

    Terry Reintke

    "Since I can remember I wanted to change the world. Going into politics seemed like a logical step to do that. However, I never planned to become a politician myself. But in the end I realised that some of the things I want to change will only happen if I sit in a position of power myself. Women can (re)shape power, first of all, by being where the power is. We still see an alarming underrepresentation of women* in all top level decision-making positions. That has to change. Not in another (...) Read more

  • Sanchia Alasia

    Sanchia Alasia

    "I didn’t come from a political family. My interest was first sparked in my teens studying a political module at College. I was also given an invitation to meet the then new leader of the Labour party Tony Blair but didn’t understand the importance and turned the invitation down.
    I was first elected to my local council in May 2010. When I was elected I was the youngest woman on the council and the first of three Black women to be elected. I defeated one of the far right, British National (...) Read more

  • Maria Noichl

    Maria Noichl

    "I grew up in a political household. My father was as a member of the conservative party and active in the town’s council. Discussions around local politics at the breakfast table were a normality for me and everything was political: the development of the village or the school or even the missing roof of a bus stop. At the age of 18 I discovered the German social democrats (SPD) through the eyes of a women’s group of the SPD in my hometown. They made me discover a new way of thinking, a new (...) Read more

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EWL event "Progress towards a Europe free from all forms of male violence" to mark the 10th aniversary of the Istanbul Convention, 12 May 2021.

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