Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Lara WOLTERS (S&D, NL) and Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), co-Rapporteurs, talk to the press following the debate and the vote on the so-called “Women on Boards” Directive. It introduces transparent recruitment procedures for businesses so that at least 40% of non-executive director posts or 33% of all director posts are occupied by the under-represented sex by July 2026.This trascription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

press conference

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

gender balance (T)

REGNER, Evelyn (S&D, AT)

WOLTERS, Lara (S&D, NL)

president's agenda

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and by Lara WOLTERS (S&D, NL) and Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), co-Rapporteurs on the adoption of Women on Boards directive

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Thank you so much. Good afternoon to you. Good afternoon to everybody watching us today. I am especially delighted to participate in this press conference with the European Parliament's rapporteurs on the new EU rules to increase gender balance in companies. First word that comes to mind is finally, I think that today's adoption of the Women on Boards Directive is also a law that I will be particularly proud to put my name on when I sign it together with the Czech Presidency of the Council tomorrow.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, This is a short piece of legislation and it is all the more telling that we had to wait ten years for it to happen. What more suitable than that could then finally adopt it on the 70th anniversary of this Parliament, which we are commemorating today. The Women on Boards Directive is just one piece of legislation, but it is an important one and a potential trailblazer.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, And I hope that with this one we have managed to at least put a proper crack in the glass ceiling, as I see this as the beginning, as the European beginning of the end of gender inequality. Let me also take this opportunity to express my thanks to so many, especially women who have made this day possible, including those who have accompanied this file. Accompanied is a big word, this file from the beginning and through many ups and downs.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Thank you for your perseverance, for your tenacity, and ultimately your political willingness to fight. A special mention goes to my friends and colleagues, Evelyn and Lara. Evelyn, you have fought and worked hard from the very beginning to make this day come true. Lara, you have taken up this fight and continue to go through in this very important part of the legislature. Let us not wait another ten years to take the next steps. Thank you.

Speaker 3 Here we go. Thank you so much, Roberta, for joining us today. Thank you, Evelyn, for a great cooperation throughout all of this. Today we finally close the chapter that was open for ten years on a Women on Boards directive in Europe that indeed will put a good crack in the glass ceiling. And when I looked at the numbers around this, I thought, it's almost like a maths riddle.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lara WOLTERS (S&D, NL), MEP, We've got 60% of graduates from universities in Europe that are women, but out of every 100 CEOs in Europe, only eight are women. And I think it's a maths riddle that we as the European Parliament have been trying to solve and we've been trying to solve it in the name of fairness, in the name of equal opportunities, but also because there's problems with the current situation. The top of companies and boards as they are today, are not a good reflection of our societies.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lara WOLTERS (S&D, NL), MEP, Secondly, we're talking here about the very biggest European companies. We're talking about the heavy hitters. And if those big listed European companies impact on our societies, then our societies must also impact them. And I think that these quotas will have an effect beyond what is written on paper. And it it'll have effects beyond the boardroom. And it'll be a step in that long road towards genuine gender equality.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lara WOLTERS (S&D, NL), MEP, It was said this is a piece of the puzzle. It won't solve everything. What we need for that is affordable and quality childcare, parental leave. We need part time to be part time work to be accepted by and acceptable for men. And we need to tackle harassment and gender stereotyping.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lara WOLTERS (S&D, NL), MEP, But it is a step in the right direction that I'm very pleased that we can take here today after ten years of obstruction by member states. I think after three mandates, five parliament rapporteurs and 21 Council presidencies, here we are today. And I'm very pleased that we're going to be putting our signature to this legislation tomorrow. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), MEP, So. Dear ladies and gentlemen, I continue as president Metsola right now said we finally did it. After ten years to introduce the Women on Boards Directive, which will bring us one step closer towards to a more gender equal labour market in the European Union. Ten years and it shows when there are hard working women united they never give up and it takes some time. But as you heard, we did it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), MEP, With this directive we paved the way for fair and transparent hiring processes all over Europe and will give women the same chances of being recruited for the top jobs as men. Now make sure that qualification matters and not informal networks. With this, we challenge power structures and hope to kick off a transformation of the European labour market. And in the future, thanks to this legislation, there will be more diversity in company boards.

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), MEP, Companies are successful when they mirror the society and companies they will benefit, especially in our car, in times of crisis, inflation and so on. So we need smart and competent women in top positions. We found sound compromise. I mean, it's always about compromise without any exemptions and with consequences for those ignoring our legislation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), MEP, This is necessary. So we witnessed that without binding rules and sanctions to help implement them. Nothing might change otherwise. Lara mentioned it. Only around 30% of non-executive board members of the largest listed companies in the European Union were women, and only about a bit more than 8% are CEOs. So there is a way to go. Thanks to the Women and Boards directive.

SOUNDBITE (English), Evelyn REGNER (S&D, AT), MEP, We will change this. From 2026, at least 40% of non-executive board members or 33 of non-executive and executive board members combined have to be women. And this was it is possible, thanks to the commitment from all three institutions, somewhere a little bit slower. I mean, you know that and of the many, many strong women working very hard and constructively together to achieve a common goal. So we made it happen. We finally eradicate the male quota for company boards and soon there will not be a men's world anymore.

Q&A Regarding women fighting against ISIS in the Middle East and the air strike in Turkey.

Q&A Regarding Roberta Metsola's, President of the EP, trip to Barcelona.

Q&A Regarding a greater balance between men and women on the executive board and the reflection of this work at the European level.

Q&A the issues of legislation or attitudes for women to be fairly represented. Second question regarding legislation applying to large companies, but might not apply to smaller countries with smaller compamies.First question regarding

Q&A Regarding Roberta Metsola's, President of the EP, meeting in Barcelona and the issues of the independent Catalan MEPs in the European Parliament.

Q&A Regarding the enforcement of this legislation. Second question on enforcing a legislation package on government and governmental institutions.