LIU, Alm.del - 2013-14 - Bilag 6: Pressemeddelelse "Women on boards" fra Europa-Parlamentet

EU-listed companies should aim to ensure, by 2020, that at least 40% of their non-executive board members are women, so as to promote gender equality in economicdecision making, say draft rules proposed by the European Commission and backed bythe Women's Rights and Gender Equality and Legal Affairs committees on Monday. In2012, only 15% of non-executive board members at the EU's largest companies werewomen."Today's vote on the joint report by the Women's Rights and Legal Affairs committees sends astrong call for EU legislation to step up women's membership of and participation in boards oflisted companies. What is currently a reality in some EU member states will soon be extended tothe single market as a whole and all EU listed companies, thereby making the most of the talentsof many qualified and highly skilled women", said MEP Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP, EL)."It is important that the directive should be broad in scope and that many listed companies arerequired to use the open and transparent procedure when selecting their non-executive directors.We do not have an exemption for family enterprises or specific sectors, but we have strengthenedthe penalties that member states should apply when companies do not fulfil the directive'srequirements. Now, it is up to the Council to agree a common position, so that negotiationsbetween the Council and Parliament, as co-legislators, can start", said rapporteur Evelyn Regner(S&D,AT).40% target for listed company boardsMEPs backed a Commission proposal to ensure gender balance on boards for publicly-listedcompanies. They called on them to ensure that at least 40% of their non-executive boardmembers represent the under-represented sex. Listed companies would have untill 2020 to reachthe target while public ones should do so by 2018.According to the draft proposal, the rules approved today would not apply to small and medium-sized enterprises. However MEPs encouraged member states to support SMEs and give themincentives to improve gender balance on their boards too.MEPs further proposed that these rulesshould also apply to companies where less than 10% of workforce is of the under-representedsex.Transparent and gender-balanced recruitment procedureMEPs call for a transparent, open and meritocratic recruitment procedure in which genderbalance is borne in mind throughout. Where candidates are equally well qualified, priority shouldgo to the candidate of under-represented sex, at every stage of this procedure, they add. MEPs

stress that qualifications and merit must remain the key criteria.Penalties for breaching transparency requirementsCompanies that fail to abide by the rules will be required to explain why to the competent nationalauthorities in member states and describe the measures taken and planned to achieve it in future.MEPs say that penalties, such as fines, should be imposed for failing to follow transparent andopen appointment procedures, rather than for failing to achieve the target.They propose that"exclusion from public calls for tenders" should be added to the list of possible penalties, whichthey say should be mandatory, rather than indicative, as the Commission proposes.Next stepsThe amended draft legislative resolution was approved by 40 votes to 9, with 2 abstentions. Thecommittee negotiators received a mandate to start negotiations with EU ministers.La version fran§aise sera publiée prochainementici.