Jean Claude Juncker, President of the European Union, has failed at least 51 per cent of Europeans. Every decision, directive or policy made in the EU is affected by this failing which creates a single bias. It is not only the European Commission that is guilty of this failing, but every European Institution is complicit in the same injustice. The implication and effect is that the majority is represented by the minority and in a democratic Europe it is time for change.
What is this failing? The fact that there is no gender balance in the decision-making process in European policy making which now causes an imbalance in every decision made in Europe. Health, education, growth, jobs, infrastructure, youth, economy, transport ... not a single topic escapes the discrimination which takes place in establishing policy. The appointments of the new Commissioners last October was a test for EU leaders to demonstrate the credentials of a gender conscious Europe: one that places women on an equal level to men; one which recognises that women are 51 per cent of society who should be therefore included equally in the decision-making processes. Disappointingly, only nine out of a total of 28 Commissioners appointed were women. This is a blow to the concept of democratic governance itself and the very ideals of the equality agenda of the European Union.
However, there is an opportunity to change this. If the EU is serious about equal representation of men and women in the decision-making process, then the first place to start would be with the "EU House of Civil Society" - The European Economic and Social Committee, EESC. This would be a strong signal from Europe which would allow President Juncker and the Council of Ministers to move beyond lip service and demonstrate its commitment to gender equality.
The EESC is relatively unknown among European citizens and policy makers alike. It currently has 353 members drawn from economic and social interest groups in Europe representing European civil society. Consultation of the EESC by the Commission or the Council is mandatory in certain cases of legislation and optional in others. On average, the EESC delivers 170 advisory opinions a year with a budget of €130 million. It thus has a key role to play in the Union's policy making as a representative of organised civil society.
This year, there is a unique opportunity to make the change that EU leaders failed to achieve during the appointment of the new Commissioners and redress the gender imbalance in at least one EU institution. The EESC will be appointing its new members in 2015 for a five-year mandate and membership numbers must be reduced to less than 350 in accordance with the EU treaty. The new members of the EESC will be appointed by the Council of Ministers after proposals made by the member states. It will take ONE action to change the representation: The EU Commission must insist that at least 40 per cent of members appointed per member state, have to be women; a step that be will be a model for other EU institutions to follow. The EU Commission could go further in insisting that the age limit is capped at 67 to allow younger citizens to actively contribute to democracy and decision making.
When the "House of Civil Society" cannot represent women equally, then its own legitimacy should be questioned. In one of its own opinions, the EESC stated: "Ensuring men and women are on an equal footing in politics should be a cornerstone for building Europe. In the elections of June 2009, women held 35 per cent of seats in the European Parliament; 10 members of the Commission are female, while 17 are male. Women hold 24 per cent of seats in national parliaments and 25 per cent of ministerial portfolios in national governments. At the EESC, 23.6 per cent of current members are women, while 76.4 per cent are men, and in senior management posts (directors, deputy directors, deputy secretaries-general) women account for only 16.7 per cent, while the figure is 83.3 per cent for men. Equal representation between men and women should be a top priority for achieving equality at all levels."
Endorsing the 50/50 campaign that was active before the 2014 European Parliament Elections, President Juncker is reminded -"No modern European Democracy without Gender Equality"!
Grace Attard and Madi Sharma
Madi Sharma is an entrepreneur and UK Member of the Employers Group of the European Economic and Social Committee. She has prepared opinions for the EESC on entrepreneurship education, trade, female entrepreneurship, women on boards, CSR and the protection of children from travelling sex offenders. She is an international speaker, Asian Woman of Achievement and UK Best Boss. www.madisharma.org
Grace Attard is a Bureau Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), working in areas of Social Policy, Employment and Education, Gender Equality, the Euromed Region, and Industry. In the EESC she has worked on gender equality in political and economic decision-making, and employment, as well as addressing domestic violence and women's contribution to the EU2020 strategy.