PES Group members gathering at their Group meeting ahead of the European Committee of the Regions plenary session adopted today a Code of Conduct on Gender Equality. This makes them the first political group in the CoR to have adopted such a code.
"Gender equality is a non-negotiable prerequisite for all truly progressive political forces and achieving it must become a top priority", emphasised PES Group President Catiuscia Marini.
"Even if we have covered a lot of ground in the last years to improve gender equality in Europe, women are still largely underrepresented in political leadership positions at all levels of government. I am therefore delighted that our Group has taken the concrete commitment to ensure that gender equality is consistently reflected in our political work
More specifically, it was agreed that a 50-50% parity for PES members should be achieved by applying a strict gender equality policy in the following areas:
- When appointing members within the Group's internal structures (PES Executive, commission coordinators);
- When appointing PES members to the CoR structures (working groups, committee chairs, mixed committees with third countries, ARLEM, CORLEAP and appointment of rapporteurs);
- When designating PES Group representatives in the various organs and thematic configurations of the Party of European Socialists (PES);
- When organising initiatives and events, such as panel debates, or when deciding the allocation of speaking slots.
Besides, the PES Group committed to working to increase the overall number of women nominated as members of the European Committee of the Regions, by raising awareness among the heads of national delegations and the bodies responsible for CoR appointments.
An assessment of the implementation of the gender equality principle will be provided on an annual basis.
