Its title is a giveaway suggests Iratxe García Pérez. "The FEMM committee's key role, as its name clearly states, is the defence and consolidation of women's rights and gender equality" and as chair of that committee, García Pérez says she will, "continue the work of my predecessors to ensure that women and men enjoy the same rights and are equal across all areas of society on issues ranging from employment, political and economic decision making, wages and pensions, to economic independence; work-life balance, and of course, sexual and reproductive rights."
The committee's core priorities of defending the rights of all girls and women and of guaranteeing gender equality are "unfortunately" unchanged says the Spanish Socialist deputy because, "despite the many improvements achieved, much remains to be done. Economic austerity measures and budget cuts have been a setback and have even meant the revocation of equality measures previously adopted."
"We hope that commissioner Jourová keeps her promise and appoints somebody to be responsible for gender issues in her cabinet"
However, for García Pérez, there are currently two specific unfinished pieces of business, "on the table where it is crucial to get council agreement for legislation to enter into force". The first is the proposal for amending the directive on maternity leave. "The European parliament adopted its first reading in October 2010 and it has, since then, been blocked in the council." The second says García Pérez is the proposal for a directive to improve the gender balance on the boards of directors of listed companies. "Again, the parliament adopted its first reading months ago, back in November 2013, and we are still awaiting the member states' position."
MEPs have, she highlights, also asked the European commission to present proposals for a directive aimed at preventing and combating violence against women, while another important and recurring issue is the right to sexual and reproductive health. Her own priorities as an MEP and as chair of the FEMM committee "are the same", she says. Maternity leave, the gender balance in companies, violence against women, sexual and reproductive rights and all the other issues related to gender equality such as equality in political and economic decision-making and in tackling the glass ceiling, equal pay and the gender pensions gap. Her long list of gender-related issues will perhaps come as no surprise to many women within the Brussels EU bubble, having witnessed the difficulties of new commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in merely matching the gender balance of his team to that of the Barroso II setup.
"My Socialist group called for a commissioner on gender issues to be nominated," she recalls. "President Juncker has designated Věra Jourová for the post, but I am afraid that her portfolio is just too extensive, as it covers not only areas and issues covered by the FEMM committee, but competences covered by the LIBE, JURI and IMCO committees as well." García Pérez says MEPs on the FEMM committee would have preferred to have a commissioner with an "exclusive portfolio on equality", but admits that at least there will be a commissioner in charge of women's rights and gender equality. "We hope that commissioner Jourová keeps her promise and appoints somebody to be responsible for gender issues in her cabinet."
Iratxe García Pérez is chair of parliament's women's rights and gender equality committee