Electing a female president is not enough
A comment on the election of the new President of the European Parliament.
After the recent death of David Sassoli, who in any case had announced his intention not to run again, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) elected their new President for the second half of the 9th Legislature: Roberta Metsola. Metsola, a member of the European People's Party (EPP) received 458 valid votes out of 610.
Both the left and the right wing rejoiced: finally, the European Parliament is once again led by a woman. Metsola is, in fact, the third woman to hold this office. Before her were Simone Veil from 1979 to 1982, and Nicole Fontaine from 1999 to 2002. A second cause for celebration: the European institutions are almost all female-led. In addition to Metsola in Parliament, we have Von Der Leyen at the Commission and Lagarde at the ECB.
On the other hand, the feeling that a woman would end up at the helm this time was already in the air. Together with the newly elected President, two other women had been nominated: Sira Rego (Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left) and Alice Bah Kuhnke (Greens/European Free Alliance). The only man in the running, conservative Kosma ZÅ‚otowski (European Conservatives and Reformists), withdrew his candidacy before the vote. It was therefore written in the stars that David Sassoli's successor would be a woman.Â
Frankly, however, I would think twice before heralding victory over male chauvinism and gerontocracy just because Metsola is the third woman, and the youngest, to be elected President of the European Parliament. In fact, what is Metsola's position on the fundamental rights of women?
Roberta Metsola was elected MEP in the only state of the European Union that completely bans abortion: Malta. Metsola herself has defended the anti-abortion line followed by her country on several occasions. In the past, together with EPP colleagues Therese Comodini Cachia and David Casa, she has expressly stated that she is against abortion:
“We fully support gender equality and are committed to achieving this goal. However, we remain categorically against abortion. It is regrettable that a report analyzing the situation of gender equality has been hijacked to include unacceptable references to abortion. The PN* has always maintained that this is an issue that should remain the exclusive competence of the Member States, in which the EU cannot and must not be involved… we voted against the whole report to underline our strong opposition to abortion and to express our serious reservations about attempts to violate the principle of subsidiarity ".
* PN = Maltese Partit Nazzjonalista (Nationalist Party)
Just six months ago, the newly elected President voted against the report on the situation of sexual and reproductive health which, among other things, called for universal access to safe and legal abortion across the European Union. At a press conference held after her election, she suggested that her personal views would not prevent her from actively promoting the views of the European Parliament:
"The position of the Parliament is my position".
It is useless to praise feminism and gender equality just because a woman has been elected President of the European Parliament. Electing a woman President is not enough. Rather, it is necessary to elect a woman who is President for all women. It is necessary that the President recognizes all the rights of women - including that of abortion - and that they fight so that these rights are recognized and respected by others. That the leaders of the European institutions are explicitly and fully in favour of abortion is especially important now, given the drift that is occurring on the protection of this right in countries such as Hungary and Poland.
Therefore, before celebrating, let's wait and see how President Metsola will operate within her mandate, and if she will really be willing to adapt her personal position on abortion. Only then will there (perhaps) be a reason for European women to rejoice.