10 September 2019
Brussels
Ursula von der Leyen, the first woman to be President-elect of the European Commission, announced the new selected team of Commissioners for the period 2019-2024. This selection has been based on candidates suggested by the Heads of State or Government, reflecting the priorities set out in her political guidelines and statement at the European Parliament. The proposed team reflects a near equal gender balance for the first time in the EU executive’s history. Including herself, Ursula von der Leyen’s team countains 13 women and 14 men.
The President-elect has also entrusted Helena Dalli with the role of Commissioner for Equality, with the main next five year task of strengthening Europe’s commitment to inclusion and equality in all of its senses, irrespective of sex, racial or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief, and of being active across the Union to raise awareness and promote equality.
In her mission letter, Ursula von der Leyen asks Helena Dalli the following tasks specific to Gender Equality:
- Development of a new European Gender Strategy to address areas in which women still face additional barriers, with focus on work equality and pay transparency.
- Fully implementation of the Work–Life Balance Directive.
- Crack down on gender-based violence and better support victims, strengthening the support, protection and rights of victims and proposing to add violence against women to the list of EU crimes.
- Empowerment of women and girls, exchanging best practices and ensuring coherence in the European external and internal policies.
For further information on the future European Commission, please consult this page.
