In the framework of the International Women’s Day 2019 (on 8 March), the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and the directorate for Relations with National Parliaments, organise an Inter-parliamentary on "Women's Power in Politics". The event takes place in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

meeting

JOUROVÁ, Věra (EC)

GRABAR-KITAROVIĆ, Kolinda (HR)

PAPADIMOULIS, Dimitrios (The Left, EL)

International Women's Day (T)

gender balance (T)

Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

Women's Power in Politics - International Women's Day 2019: extracts from the FEMM committee meeting

Arrival of EP President Antonio TAJANI (2 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, Women are in today world still subject to discrimation and unacceptable violence, also in the European Union. Europe is one of the most free, prospereous and just regions of the world. This is precisely because the European Union is one of the most egalitarian societies in the world for women and men.[...] We need more women in politics, more women in relevant positions as well as in business. This is not a battle between women and men, it is a battle for a stronger Europe, which cannot be achieved withouth the full recognition of human rights, and it is a battle in favour of dignity and let&rsquo;s say for all.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS (GUE/NGL, EL), I will hope that the coming European Parliament elections will help of course with the various discussions that we are going to have as well, it will help to keep women in these key roles. A second observation, today we find ourselves on a panel with a majority of women, but this is unfortunately the exception, it is the rare exception, usually the various panels in these public discussions are occupied by men, and I hope that will change as well.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVI&#262;, President of the Republic of Croatia, To stand here today as the first women president of Croacia it is not a matter of course of self-evidence, and I do not take it for granted. I had to persist and fight for my place.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVI&#262;, President of the Republic of Croatia, When it comes to domestic violence even in Croacia courts are too lenient towards the perpetrators, let alone victims of sexual violence who are often look at with scepticism, and not to forget rape as a weapon of war. Women are often underpaid for the same job in comparison to men, unemployment is greater among women.

SOUNDBITE (English), V&#277;ra JOUROV&#193;, Member of the EC in charge of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, What is unhealthy? We have so much responsibility as women and we do not have balance of power, I think this is systemic error, sorry for being technical, but when you look at the figures you see it quite clearly. We see that with this 50% of university graduates, we have 6% of CEOs in European companies, we still have a gap in employment, we wanted to have 75%, so equal employment with man and we still are below it.

SOUNDBITE (English), V&#277;ra JOUROV&#193;, Member of the EC in charge of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Around half a million young women or even girls have to go through horrible barbarian practice of female genital mutilation in Europe in the 21stcentury, when I speak sometimes with the people working in the security fields, well you know that is part of their culture, in that moment I am about to kill someone, specially the one I speak to. This is absolutely unacceptable. This has to be banished, it has to be traced, it has to be also explained to the society that everyone has the duty to announce that something like this is under preparation. I know so many concrete cases, which tell me this is not an easy thing to address this issue, but we have to try again.