The European elections of June 2004 are approaching and the commission for women’s rights is trying to draw attention to the need to encourage a balanced representation of the two sexes in the electoral lists. The European Parliament approved, on 6 November, a report drawn up by the commission, underlining the need for a greater participation of women in the decision-making processes. The governments of the member states and candidate countries are invited to adopt specific measures to reform their electoral systems, in such a way as to ensure a percentage of women on the electoral lists of at least 30%. The report proposes quota systems or systems for the alternation of the sexes on the lists, in such a way as to ensure democratic and representative European elections. MEPs also express their concern about the alarming situation in the candidate countries, which present an average 14.6% of women elected to national parliaments and a low female representation among the observers in the European Parliament. Unless appropriate steps are taken now, the European elections in 2004 risk decreasing even further the percentage of women elected to the European Parliament, currently 31%.
