CYPRUS: More women MPs needed in European Parliament

Cyprus Women’s Lobby and the European Parliament Office in Nicosia are campaigning for gender parity in decision-making centres, in view of May’s Euro Elections.

Chairwoman of the Women’s Lobby Stella Kammitsi stressed the need for women to be equally represented in the EU, expressing fear that Cyprus may not elect even a single woman MEP during the forthcoming elections. Currently, only one out of six Cyprus MEPs is a woman.

This percentage of 17% in women’s representation in the EU is the second lowest among member states.

Kammitsi said that gender equality is one of the five values on which the EU is founded and on which its actions are based, and women must be equally represented in decision-making centres, since the decisions taken concern them as well. 

“Women must be visible, must be given equal opportunities and political parties should take this seriously into consideration and develop strategies to promote women.”

The spokesperson of the European Parliament Office in Cyprus, Alexandra Attalides, said gender equality is an important precondition to achieve effective democracy and good governance which empower and reinforce the democratic system. 

Despite this being a basic aim of the EU, women continue to be underrepresented in the democratic institutions both in the member states and in Brussels.

Attalides said this underrepresentation constitutes a serious democratic deficit and that an urgent solution is needed both in the national parliaments’ and the EP, adding that currently 37% of MEPs are women.