Euro-Med: Alarming low level of women representation in Lebanon

 The EPP Group pushes for a strong increase of the participation of women in society

In Lebanon, only four women are Members of Parliament out of a total of one hundred and twenty eight. The EPP Group is concerned about this and would like to help avert a repetition of this in the next general elections in Lebanon which are scheduled for June 2013. The EPP Group has long encouraged the participation of women in public life, not least in the Lebanese society.

On behalf of the EPP Group, Marie Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid MEP invited a number of Lebanese women candidates for the next Lebanese elections to the European Parliament to follow the proceedings of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly which is being held at the European Parliament today and tomorrow. Yesterday, these female candidates shared their experiences and views with Members of our Group.

"Don't consider the participation of women in politics as a gift! It's a right and it is even a duty for them to participate in elections so as to allow their nation to benefit from the diversity of its Members. In such a geopolitical context, which is becoming more and more fragile by the day, Lebanon should serve as an example and present women for the next parliamentary elections. Today, candidates know that their European counterparts support them. The next Euro-Mediterranean partnership should focus on the status of women in society and their role in the dynamics of the democratic process", Sanchez-Schmid said.

Today, the EPP Group tabled an amendment in the Women's Rights Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean calling on governments for the establishment of microcredit facilities targeted at women.

Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group Vito Bonsignore noted that everywhere in the world where micro credit has increased, there has been a marked improvement in housing conditions and a significant decrease in illiteracy among children.

"Access to financial credit increases chances for women to take part in society, help them realise their potential and more importantly helps them feel part of the social fabric", Bonsignore concluded.