[Brussels, 8 June 2018] Yesterday, the European Women’s Lobby launched its campaign for the 2019 European Parliament elections. Even though achieving equality between women and men is an official goal of the European Union and enshrined in its Treaties as a fundamental principle, gender equality has not been realised and women are still seriously under-represented in power and decision-making.
After the 2014 EU elections, only 37% of the MEPs were women and this number has since decreased. Only 2 out of the 15 European Parliament Presidents have been women and only 9 out of 28 European Commissioners are women.
The global backlash against women’s rights, from the rise of right wing populism and nationalism to an erosion of the very basic values the European Union was built on, continues to create a challenging environment for a diverse and inclusive society that respects women’s and human rights and actively promotes gender equality.
Feminist writer and blogger Minna Salami and speaker at the event emphasised “We live in contradicting times where on the one hand, campaigns like Me Too and Black Lives Matter are positively changing the way we interact to be more progressive, inclusive and equal societies. On the other hand, misogynist and xenophobic politics are on the rise. A a diverse, global minded and conscientiously feminist Women For Europe campaign is more timely than ever!”
Daniela Pichler, Policy and Campaigns Director at EWL who is leading the “50/50: Women for Europe, Europe for Women” campaign, said: “Women are not a minority, we are representing the majority of the European society and we are diverse, there is no “one woman”. We want to build a more equal, diverse and inclusive Europe. In order to achieve this, women’s rights need to be put at the heart of the political agenda. We campaign to achieve equal representation of women and men, parity democracy in the European Parliament in the 2019 elections and in the appointment of the new college of European Commissioners.”
With an online petition that people are invited to show their commitment to a world in which women can enjoy equal rights and full participation in every level of decision- making and for a real European democracy that assures equal representation for women and men in leadership and power.
For further information or interviews on the #WomenForEurope campaign, please contact Elvira Buijink, Communications & Media Officer, buijink@womenlobby.org +32 2 210 04 21
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations in the European Union (EU), working to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men. EWL membership extends to organisations in all 28 EU Member States and three of the candidate countries, as well as to 20 European-wide organisations, representing a total of more than 2000 associations.
