Women and politics, the EU paradox: at the top of institutions, but representation is declining
Source: EU NEWS
Brussels – Women occupy the top positions in three of the seven main EU institutions for the first time, but the base of female political representation is losing ground. This is the contradiction facing the European Union in 2026, according to the latest report from the European Parliament’s Think Tank.
Ursula von der Leyen heads the Commission, Roberta Metsola the Parliament, Christine Lagarde the ECB, while the role of EU High Representative for Foreign Policy (and the diplomatic service of the European External Action Service EEAS) is entrusted to Kaja Kallas. Yet, the overall number of women in the institutions is declining. In the European Parliament, after uninterrupted growth from 1979 to 2019 (when it stood at 41 per cent), the proportion of female MEPs fell to 38.5 per cent after the 2024 elections, marking a worrying halt to a trend that seemed well established. As the research shows, progress towards equality has not only slowed but, in some cases, has literally come to a halt.
The data analysis reveals a two-track continent: on the one hand, countries such as Sweden, where women account for over 60% of European parliamentary representation, and Finland, which boasts a national government with 57.9% of ministers female. On the other hand, pockets of extreme resistance remain: Hungary has no women in its Council of Ministers, while Cyprus did not elect a single woman to the European Parliament in the last election.
Brussels – Women occupy the top positions in three of the seven main EU institutions for the first time, but the base of female political representation is losing ground. This is the contradiction facing the European Union in 2026, according to the latest report from the European Parliament’s Think Tank.
Ursula von der Leyen heads the Commission, Roberta Metsola the Parliament, Christine Lagarde the ECB, while the role of EU High Representative for Foreign Policy (and the diplomatic service of the European External Action Service EEAS) is entrusted to Kaja Kallas. Yet, the overall number of women in the institutions is declining. In the European Parliament, after uninterrupted growth from 1979 to 2019 (when it stood at 41 per cent), the proportion of female MEPs fell to 38.5 per cent after the 2024 elections, marking a worrying halt to a trend that seemed well established. As the research shows, progress towards equality has not only slowed but, in some cases, has literally come to a halt.
The data analysis reveals a two-track continent: on the one hand, countries such as Sweden, where women account for over 60% of European parliamentary representation, and Finland, which boasts a national government with 57.9% of ministers female. On the other hand, pockets of extreme resistance remain: Hungary has no women in its Council of Ministers, while Cyprus did not elect a single woman to the European Parliament in the last election.