As women MEPs gathered for an event to mark IWD in the European Parliament, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi’s opening remarks offered a reality check. According to a recent study by World Economic Forum, she told colleagues, closing the global gender gap will take over a century. “For me and for you, this is unacceptable,” she said.
Vozemberg-Vrionidi – who hosted the event along with MEPs Lina Galvez, Maria Walsh and Evin Incir – said women worldwide continue to face systemic inequalities in workplaces, homes and communities, while new challenges such as climate change, digital transformation and geopolitical instability are creating fresh obstacles for women. “The reality is that gender balance is still not a universal achievement.”
The event, organised by The Parliament magazine and supported by beverage company Diageo, brought together a cross-party group of MEPs, and other stakeholders, to discuss how to advance gender equality policies in an increasingly challenging political environment for women. Speakers also addressed ways to reduce barriers to women's participation in business, particularly by improving access to funding.
Those who believe in women's rights, regardless of which party they are from, need to join forces
The event marked the first International Women’s Day since the European elections last June. That vote was the first EU election in history to result in a decrease in the representation of women. Of the 720 MEPs in the current mandate, 38.5% are women, down from 39.5% in the ninth mandate. In the Commission, despite the re-appointment of Ursula von der Leyen as president, and the appointment of Kaja Kallas as the EU’s top diplomat, the number of women Commissioners also decreased – from 13 in the previous mandate to 11 women this time.
With progress towards women’s representation at the highest level in the EU seemingly stalling, Swedish MEP Incir told the event it was more important than ever for women MEPs to stand together. “Those who believe in women's rights, regardless of which party they are from, need to join forces,” she said.
Incir said this was particularly important as there had been an increase in far-right representation, which she argued has led to more anti-feminist ideas circulating within the institutions. “Here in the European Parliament, there are now people who are not only anti-feminist and sexist, but also racists, and some pure fascists,” the S&D MEP added.
Tackling gender-based violence
In the previous mandate, Incir was responsible for a legislative file to combat violence against women, and during the event she shared her experience in advocating for the directive pushing for more laws to protect women at various levels.
The directive – which tackles both offline and online violence against women across the EU - was eventually approved before the end of the last mandate. It calls on EU member states to take stronger action by implementing prevention strategies, boosting victim protection and support, improving access to justice, and ensuring better coordination and cooperation between authorities.
Vozemberg-Vrionidi, too, said that despite some important progress in recent years to strengthen protections, including the first -ever EU rules on combatting VAWG, gender-based violence remains “a terrifying reality for too many women in the EU and should have no place in our society”. “The directive is a vital step in protecting women from violence, offering better support for victims and harsher penalties for perpetrators. However this is not enough and we must ensure full implementation in every member state. This has not happened yet.”
The MEPs also raised the increasingly urgent problem of AI-generated deepfakes. Irish MEP Maria Walsh said that while AI technology offered huge opportunities for society, the technology was “perversely impacting women”. She cited research that 96% of deepfakes generated by AI are pornographic or sexually explicit – and 99% of the victims of those deepfakes are women and young girls.
The Spanish MEP Lina Galvez, who is the chair of the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee, also participated in the discussion, highlighting the importance of mainstreaming gender equality and women’s rights. “We need to integrate equality into all policies," she pointed out, emphasizing that gender equality requires not just specific legislation for women, but that all policy areas must adopt a gender equality perspective.
She mentioned for instance, the EU budget, of which priorities have to be set up also having in mind a gender equality perspective.
“What we have to fight for is becoming more and more difficult in these current times, unfortunately,” she added.
Women in business
Boosting support for women entrepreneurs was another topic of discussion during the event. Walsh outlined the challenges women face in starting their own businesses on equal footing with men, pointing out that while 40% of entrepreneurs in Europe are women, yet many struggle to get access to investment. “If we do not have a fair share of equity, and we don’t have the money in our pockets to grow our businesses, it makes it impossible for women to make innovative, entrepreneurial change, and to realise their big ideas, that we need more than ever,” she said.
According to the World Bank, women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are an underrepresented force in emerging markets. Despite their potential, they face tougher financial barriers, with limited access to funding and less favourable terms than SMEs run by men.
Walsh cited EU pay transparency rule adopted in 2023 as a good step forward more equality in the workplace. These rules require companies to disclose salary information and take action if their gender pay gap exceeds 5%. It also includes compensation for victims of pay discrimination and penalties, such as fines, for employers who fail to comply.
Francesca Adurno, head of EU sustainability at Diageo, told attendees that to build “a truly competitive Europe”, gender parity in the workplace should be the norm, not the exception. “To achieve true gender parity in the workplace is not just about doing business the right way—it’s a commercial imperative. It’s about talent retention and ensuring that both we as an employer and our employees reach their full potential," she said.
Diageo is deeply embedded in Europe, offering over 200 brands like Guinness, Baileys, Tanqueray, and Johnnie Walker, which are consumed by over 220 million consumers across the continent. As of June 2024, 70% of Diageo’s board members are women, and women hold 44% of leadership positions. The company has also launched initiatives to break taboos surrounding women’s health. Employees receive various training sessions, including those on menopause, to normalise conversations around it and support colleagues going through the transition.
Adurno said the company's 2030 Action plan sets out how their mission to champion inclusion and diversity across our business. "Our ambition is to achieve 50% women in leadership roles and 45% from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2030," she added.
Click here to read Diageo's Action Plan - Spirit of Progress: Society 2030
This event was supported by Diageo
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