MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs nominations
11.3.2019 - (2019/2614(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Philippe Lamberts, Terry Reintke, Ernest Urtasun, Linnéa Engström, Molly Scott Cato, Bas Eickhout, Thomas Waitz, Sven Giegold, Monika Vanaon behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0171/2019
B8‑0174/2019
European Parliament resolution on gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs nominations
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
– having regard to Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
– having regard the 2017 Gender Equality Index of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE),
– having regard to its proposal of 1 March 2019 for a decision on the appointment of the new Chairperson of the European Banking Authority,
– having regard to its proposal of 1 March 2019 for a decision on the Council recommendation on the appointment of a Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank,
– having regard to its proposal 1 March 2019 for a decision on the proposal of the Commission for the appointment of a member of the Single Resolution Board,
– having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2019 on gender mainstreaming in the European Parliament[1],
– having regard to its resolution of 14 February 2019 on the implementation of the legal provisions and the Joint Statement ensuring parliamentary scrutiny over decentralised agencies[2],
– having regard to Rule 228(a) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the principle of gender equality is a core value of the EU and is enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
B. whereas Article 8 of the TFEU states that the Union must, through all its activities, aim at eliminating inequalities, promote gender equality and combat discrimination when defining and implementing its policies and activities;
C. whereas there is a structural gender imbalance in high-level positions in key institutions and agencies related to the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU);
D. whereas the 2017 Gender Equality Index produced by EIGE again pointed out that economic decision-making continues to be the area where the EU scores the lowest in terms of gender equality and women’s representation;
E. whereas despite the EU’s commitment to gender equality in decision-making, the management boards of EU agencies are seriously lacking in gender balance and show persistent patterns of gender segregation, with on average 33.7 % of members of the highest decision-making bodies of EU agencies being women; whereas out of 39 Executive Heads of EU agencies, only 10 are women, and out of 37 Presidents or Chairs of EU agencies, only 16 are women[3];
F. whereas the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) is composed of only one woman and five men;
G. whereas the General Council of the ECB is currently composed of one woman and 29 men;
H. whereas the Chair of the Single Resolution Board is currently a woman but the rest of the members of the board are men; whereas the Single Supervisory Mechanism and the three European supervisory authorities are chaired by men;
I. whereas the mandates of Daniele Nouy and Sabine Lautenschläger, two women in top financial supervision positions, recently expired and their positions are set to be filled by men;
J. whereas men also dominate in positions of economic decision-making at national level, with the central banks of all but one of the Member States led by men; whereas women make up only 19.6 % of deputy and vice governors of Member State central banks and 20 % of board members of these central banks[4];
1. Deeply regrets the lack of female candidates in the shortlists put forward for the positions of Chair of the European Banking Authority (EBA), and member of the Single Resolution Board and of the Executive Board of the ECB; calls, therefore, for a postponement of the votes on Parliament’s decisions on the proposal of the Commission for the appointment of a member of the Single Resolution Board and that of the Council for a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank;
2. Deeply regrets that these latest nominations follow the path of further deepening the gender imbalance in key decision-making positions in the governing bodies of the EMU;
3. Recalls that such developments are not only inconsistent with the repeated statements made by the Council, the Commission and Parliament on the matter, but that they also contradict the values and objectives of the EU as laid down in the Treaties;
4. Stresses that Parliament will endorse appointments to boards and other bodies of EU agencies only if the shortlist of candidates proposed by the institution or body in question is gender balanced;
5. Suggests that a gender-balanced shortlist requirement be included in the Gender Action Plan to be adopted in the near future, as envisaged under Rule 228(a) of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure;
6. Repeats its call to ensure gender balance among the members of the governing and advisory bodies of EU agencies in the future Interinstitutional Agreement on the operating framework for the European regulatory agencies, based on a review of the Common Approach;
7. Calls on the Commission and the Council to ensure gender balance in nominations and short lists for, and appointments to the management boards of all EU agencies, and strive for open, transparent, competitive and gender-sensitive recruitment and appointment procedures for executive directors of EU agencies, in order to ensure diversity among candidates and nominees;
8. Urges the Commission to adapt the regulations of all EU agencies to include a horizontal requirement regarding gender balance in decision-making, in particular regarding management positions;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.