Live hearing on the EU Directive for more Gender Balance on Boards

14 November 2012, the Commission presented its proposal for a Directive on improving the gender balance in the boardroom, known as the ‘Women on Boards’ proposal. This was the result of a longstanding demand from the European Parliament calling on the Commission to take action. The proposal set the aim of a minimum of 40 % of non-executive members of the under-represented sex on company boards, to be achieved by 2020 in the private sector and by 2018 in the public sector (the so-called ‘procedural quota’).

President Ursula Von der Leyden stated in in her proposed agenda for Europe that ‘As I did as a Minister in Germany, I will seek to build a majority to unblock the Directive on women on boards’.

Member of Parliament Samira Rafaela will discuss the many aspects of the Women on Boards directive and the aim of having quotas in place. As Coordinator of the Renew Group in the FEMM Committee, MEP Samira Rafaela, advocates for more inclusion of women in top positions within and outside the EU institutions. Quotas have a positive effect of accelerating progress for women and the society, to reach gender equality. During the hearing, we will hear the insights from various stakeholders such as European and Dutch organisations and from high profile women who have reached the top. The live hearing will be followed with a campaign done by MEP Samira Rafaela that pushes for more traction on the ‘Women on Boards’ file, in support for the unblocking of the EU directive.