European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2019 on gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs nominations (2019/2614(RSP))
Date: 2019-03-14
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: anti-discriminatory measure, equal treatment, executive, gender equality, managing director, participation of women








C_2021023EN.01010501.xml










21.1.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 23/105






P8_TA(2019)0211
Gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs' nominations
European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2019 on gender balance in EU economic and monetary affairs nominations (2019/2614(RSP))
(2021/C 23/17)

The European Parliament,






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having regard to Articles 2 and 3(3), second subparagraph, of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),










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having regard to Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,










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having regard to the Commission’s Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019,










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having regard to the Council’s recommendation of 11 February 2019 on the appointment of a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB),










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having regard to Article 283(2), second subparagraph, of the TFEU, pursuant to which the European Council consulted Parliament,










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having regard to Protocol No 4 on the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank, and, in particular, Article 11.2 thereof,










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having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A8-0144/2019),










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having regard to the selection by the Board of Supervisors of the European Banking Authority of 19 February 2019, of José Manuel Campa as Chairperson of the European Banking Authority,










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having regard to Article 48(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/78/EC (1),










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having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A8-0146/2019),










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having regard to the Commission proposal of 30 January 2019 for the appointment of Sebastiano Laviola as member of the Single Resolution Board,










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having regard to Article 56(6) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2014 establishing uniform rules and a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism and a Single Resolution Fund and amending Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (2),










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having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A8-0148/2019),










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having regard to the letters sent to the President of the Commission and to the President-in-office of the Council of the EU by the President of the European Parliament on 5 March 2019,










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having regard to the letter sent to the President of the Commission by the President of the European Parliament on 5 March 2019 and the reply by the President of the Commission of 11 March 2019,










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having regard to the letter sent to the President of the Council by the President of the European Parliament on 23 March 2018,










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having regard to the letter sent to the President of the Eurogroup by the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on 8 March 2018,










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having regard to the 2017 Gender Equality Index of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE),










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having regard to Rule 123(2) and (4) and Rule 228a of its Rules of Procedure,










A.


whereas Article 8 of the TFEU lays down gender mainstreaming as a horizontal principle, and Article 2 of the TEU lays down the principle of gender equality as a value of the Union;










B.


whereas equal access to opportunity and non-discrimination are integral values of the European Union;










C.


whereas the Council adopted the European Pact for Gender Equality for the period 2011 to 2020 on 7 March 2011;










D.


whereas Parliament regrets the fact that women continue to be underrepresented in executive positions in the field of banking and financial services; whereas all EU and national institutions and bodies should implement concrete measures to ensure gender balance;










E.


whereas the Chairs of its Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on behalf of the political groups, have on multiple occasions over the years informed the Presidents of the Council, the Eurogroup and the Commission and the Presidents-in-office of the Council of the EU about the lack of gender diversity at the ECB but also in the EU’s other economic, financial and monetary institutions;










F.


whereas the 2017 Gender Equality Index produced by EIGE pointed out that economic decision-making continues to be the area where the EU scores the lowest in terms of gender equality and women’s representation;










G.


whereas only one out of six Members of the ECB Executive Board is a woman; whereas only two out of 25 Members of the ECB Governing Council are women;










H.


whereas the Chairs of the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) are men;










I.


whereas the Chair of the Single Supervisory Mechanism has just been replaced by a man, leaving the Single Resolution Board as the only EU body in the broader realm of EU financial and economic institutions chaired by a woman;










J.


whereas notwithstanding the numerous requests made by Parliament to the Council to remedy the lack of gender balance within the ECB Executive Board, the Council has not taken this request seriously;










K.


whereas notwithstanding the numerous calls made by Parliament in relation to previous nominations that gender balance should be respected when presenting a list of candidates, all candidates for the Chairperson of the EBA were men;










L.


whereas, while the selection procedures for the Chair, Vice-Chair and Members of the Single Resolution Board have so far taken into account the principle of gender balance overall, in this case the shortlist presented to Parliament was composed only of men, in spite of the obligations set out under Article 56(4) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014;










M.


whereas while it cannot be excluded that in a single selection procedure based on individual applications there are not qualified candidates of both genders, the general principle of gender balance should be respected for the composition of the boards of the ECB and of the supervisory authorities;










N.


whereas the current candidates for the positions of chief economist of the ECB, Chair of the EBA and member of the SRB have all been considered experienced and qualified by Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and have been endorsed by significant majorities in secret ballot votes;










O.


whereas achieving gender equality is not a women’s issue, but one that should involve society as a whole;












1.


Stresses that gender balance on boards and in governments ensures broader competence and wider perspectives, and that the lack of gender balance means institutions risk missing out on potentially excellent candidates;












2.


Regrets that the Commission and the large majority of EU governments have so far failed in promoting greater gender balance in EU institutions and bodies, particularly with regard to high-level appointments in economic, financial and monetary affairs; expects the Member States and the EU institutions to swiftly improve the gender balance in top positions;












3.


Calls on the governments of the Member States, the European Council, the Council, the Eurogroup and the Commission to actively work towards gender balance in their upcoming proposals for shortlists and appointments, endeavouring to include at least one female and one male candidate per nomination procedure;












4.


Underlines that in the future, Parliament commits itself not to take into account lists of candidates where the gender balance principle has not been respected alongside the requirements concerning qualifications and experience in the selection process;












5.


Suggests the introduction of a requirement in Parliament’s future Gender Action Plan, which is envisaged under Rule 228a of its Rules of Procedure, not to endorse appointments to boards and other bodies of EU agencies if the shortlist of candidates proposed by the institution or body in question does not respect gender balance;












6.


Recognises that Parliament itself has not lived up to these standards and pledges to improve its own record of promoting gender balance in the area of economic and monetary affairs;












7.


Acknowledges that gender balance at executive level in the Union institutions and bodies requires qualified candidates from the Member States; calls therefore on Member States to take concrete steps to improve gender balance in national institutions and thereby prepare the ground for both male and female high quality candidates for top EU positions in the field of banking and financial services;












8.


Calls on the Commission and the Council to increase the transparency of the recruitment and appointment procedures for executive directors of EU agencies by publishing the list of applicants and the shortlisted candidates, and the reasons for their shortlisting, to allow public scrutiny of the openness, competitiveness and gender-sensitivity of these processes;












9.


Calls for closer cooperation among EU institutions to ensure that these measures are effective;












10.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Council, the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the European Central Bank, the Single Supervisory Mechanism, the Single Resolution Board, the European Banking Authority, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, the European Securities and Markets Authority and the national competent authorities of the Member States.






(1)  OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 12.

(2)  OJ L 225, 30.7.2014, p. 1.