Leading female EU politicians urge women to vote and stand in European elections
Ahead of the European Council 17-18 October, top EU politicians call on women to vote and to stand as candidates in the next European elections.
The Women’s European Council will meet on 10 October. EP vice-presidents Mairead McGuinness (EPP, IE) , Evelyne Gebhardt (S&D, DE) ) and Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA, FI) and Commissioners Violeta Bulc, Elzbieta Bienkowska and Mariya Gabriel are calling on the European political parties to ensure gender balance when designating their candidates for the presidency of the European Commission.
They want EU governments to make sure that there are sufficient women candidates for top EU positions next year.
The first Women’s European Council took place on 21 March 2018 and is organised together with the European Women Alliance. It aims to push gender equality to the top of the EU agenda and unites MEPs, Commissioners, representatives of the Council and civil society.
The Women’s summit will open on the morning of 10 October with a debate on how to close the gender pay gap through investment and innovation. This will be followed by a debate, including the British-Danish comedian, writer, actor, radio and TV personality and political activist Sandi Toksvig, on ways to boost women’s presence in top political positions. The afternoon will be devoted to adopting conclusions which will be submitted to the European Council, to be held 17-18 October.