Cyprus Women’s Lobby and the European Parliament’s Office in Cyprus are engaged in the campaign for Parity Democracy taking place in the framework of the European Women’s Lobby activities aiming to promote women’s participation in decision-making centres, in view of the European Elections.
 
Speaking on Monday during a press conference that took place at the EU House in Nicosia, Chairwoman of the Cyprus 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 European elections.  Currently, one out of Cyprus six’ MEPs is a woman. This percentage of 17% in women’s representation in the EU is the second lowest among the EU member states.
 
Kammitsi stressed that gender equality is one of the five values on which the EU is funded and on which its actions are based, stressing the need for women to be equally represented in decision-making centres, since the decisions taken, as the laws adopted by the EP, 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,” she stressed, noting that part of the parties’ budgets should be used to this end.
 
Both women and men need to vote at the elections and vote for women as well, to achieve equality in decision-making, she stressed.
 
The spokesperson of the European Parliament Office in Cyprus, Alexandra Attalides, stressed that gender equality is an important precondition to achieve effective democracy and good governance which empower and reinforce the democratic system.  
 
She noted that even though this is a basic aim of the EU, women continue to be underrepresented to a great extent in the democratic institutions both in the member states and in Brussels.
 
Attalides said that 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.