EU – Baltic States, Forum, Latvia, Legislation, Women leaders

Photo: WIP

The Latvian Prime Minister has called for greater female leadership in Europe, at the EU Women Caucus’ meeting in the European Parliament. During the session “Lessons from Latvia: Women in Leadership”, hosted by the Women in Parliaments Global Forum (WIP) and the Latvian Presidency of the Council, Laimdota Straujuma has highlighted the need for more women in politics, informed BC WIP communications manager Aretha Francis.

The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Kristalina Georgieva and the Latvian Permanent Representative to the EU, Ilze Juhansone have joined the Latvian Prime Minister during this discussion on female leadership.

Georgieva acknowledged the example set by Latvian society “for so many women in Europe” while President Schulz stressed that “37% of women in the European Parliament is certainly not enough”.

The EU Women Caucus is a unique cross-party and inter-institutional platform that brings together female leaders of the EU Institutions. One of the goals of the EU Women Caucus is “strengthen the collaboration between politically engaged women in the EU institutions and to build a strong, permanent alliance with the mission of promoting female leadership”.  (Read the full Mission Statement).

The 2015 Latvian Presidency has made gender equality one of its priorities, as well as being a major focus in development cooperation policy and the European Year for development.

The EU Women Caucus was launched last December 2014. It is led by the Co-Chairs of the EU Women Caucus, including the Vice Presidents of the main political groups of the European Parliament: Lara Comi (EPP), Maria João Rodrigues (S&D), Helga Stevens (ECR) and Sophia In’t Veld (ALDE). Also the EP Vice President responsible for gender equality, Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE), and the Chair of the EP Women’s Rights Committee, Iratxe García Pérez (S&D). (See the structure of the Caucus here)