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Sánchez announces a law to guarantee parity in politics and private business

2023-03-05T14:42:01.530Z


The Council of Ministers will approve on Tuesday zipper lists in the electoral law and parity in the Government and the boards of directors of large companies and professional associations


Pedro Sánchez has vindicated the PSOE as the great motor party of feminism and defender of women's rights with a hugely important announcement on the eve of March 8, International Women's Day.

The President of the Government and Secretary General of the Socialists has announced that the Council of Ministers next Tuesday will approve a law of equal representation between men and women in decision-making centers without precedent in Spain.

The future Law on Equal Representation in decision-making bodies will have several milestones that will affect all areas of society, from politics to the economy.

The electoral candidacies must have an equal composition with zipper lists in the electoral law with an alternation of people of both sexes.

The reform will apply to all electoral processes:

in the general elections to the Congress, autonomic, municipal and in the election in the polls of the members of the councils and island councils and deputies to the European Parliament.

It will also apply when the candidacies for the Senate are grouped into lists.

The Spanish Congress became the most equal in Europe in May 2019, with 47.4% of the Lower House, ahead of Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland.

Right now that proportion has decreased: there are 200 deputies (57.3%) and 149 deputies (42.7%), according to the latest data from Congress.

The proportion in the Upper House is 159 senators (60%) and 106 senators (40%).

It will also apply when the candidacies for the Senate are grouped into lists.

The Spanish Congress became the most equal in Europe in May 2019, with 47.4% of the Lower House, ahead of Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland.

Right now that proportion has decreased: there are 200 deputies (57.3%) and 149 deputies (42.7%), according to the latest data from Congress.

The proportion in the Upper House is 159 senators (60%) and 106 senators (40%).

It will also apply when the candidacies for the Senate are grouped into lists.

The Spanish Congress became the most equal in Europe in May 2019, with 47.4% of the Lower House, ahead of Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland.

Right now that proportion has decreased: there are 200 deputies (57.3%) and 149 deputies (42.7%), according to the latest data from Congress.

The proportion in the Upper House is 159 senators (60%) and 106 senators (40%).

Pedro Sánchez, this Saturday in Madrid.

JOHN BARBOSA

In addition to forcing the parity of ministers and ministers, that is, that each of the sexes represents at least 40% of the total regardless of the party that governs —now they are 63.6% in a cabinet with 14 ministers, including the three vice presidents, and 8 ministers (36.4%), pending the replacement of Reyes Maroto (Industry) and Carolina Darias (Health), respectively candidates for the Madrid and Las Palmas City Council in May—, the future The norm will regulate parity at the highest levels of power, such as the boards of directors of large companies.

The goal is for there to be the same percentage of 40% women in the management of any listed company or public interest entity with more than 250 workers and 50 million annual turnover.

The Council of the EU approved at the end of 2022 the European directive that will require from 2026 that at least 40% of non-executive directors [that is, those who are not CEOs] of listed companies are "members of the sex less represented”.

The Government intends that the modification of the Law on Capital Companies and the Law on Securities Markets and Investment Services be applied to listed companies as of July 1, 2024, and gradually in the designation of the members of the boards of directors of the affected public interest entities, who must reach the percentage of 40% of the least represented gender in said body as of June 30, 2026, as stated in the preliminary draft that the Executive will approve on Tuesday .

In the State Administration, the persons in charge of the superior and managerial bodies —State secretaries, undersecretaries or general directorates, among others—, will be appointed in such a way that the persons of each sex do not exceed 60% nor are they less than 40 % at the level of each ministry.

In the institutional public sector (autonomous bodies, agencies, public companies, foundations, etc.), this same norm of balanced representation will be guaranteed among the holders of presidencies, vice-presidencies, general directorates, executive directorates and similar of each entity.

It will also apply to people with senior management contracts.

The Government will establish a maximum period of five years to achieve parity in these areas.

The reform will also apply to Professional Associations and General Councils and will guarantee that women hold at least 40% of the positions on the governing boards of these bodies.

This increase may be applied "gradually, so that as of June 30, 2026, the previous percentage has been reached", includes the Government's draft.

"If women represent half of society, half of the political and economic power has to belong to women", Sánchez stated in an act in which the socialists commemorated 8-M, claiming the legacy of their governments in the advancement of women.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, this Saturday in Madrid.JUAN BARBOSA

Parity in public recognition juries will also be established by law: no award or recognition financed with public money may be awarded by a jury that does not respect parity with at least 40% women at the helm.

"So that what happens to the first vice president, Nadia Calviño, does not happen, that every time she is going to give an award, the jury is only men", highlighted the president.

The celebration of the meeting, which was attended by a thousand militants and supporters in the Casa de Campo Convention Pavilion and was attended by former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero —whose government created the first Ministry of Equality and approved the law of abortion deadlines, which the PP appealed for 13 years until its recent approval by the Constitutional Court—, has not been accidental: it is rooted in the struggle for hegemony in the feminist movement that the coalition partners keep at the gates of some key dates.

Next Tuesday, Congress will approve the consideration of the reform of the sexual freedom law or the

only yes is yes

with the support of the right to the PSOE that, except for a last-minute twist, has not been able to agree with United We Can on the legal formula to modify the law in force since last October.

Since then, according to data from the General Council of the Judiciary, there have been 721 sentence reductions and 74 releases of sexual offenders.

Neither Sánchez nor the rest of the high officials of the PSOE have made any allusion, implicit or direct, to the

law of only yes is yes.

Rodríguez Zapatero has referred to the

trans law,

in force since Thursday.

United We Can, which has counterprogrammed the PSOE by organizing another similar act in Madrid, has already advanced that it will vote against the bill that the PSOE registered almost a month ago, on February 6.

Since then, the negotiations remain blocked due to discrepancies on the technical way to raise the penalties, in which the different souls of the Executive do agree.

What they disagree about is how to do it legally: the PSOE links it to the existence of violence or intimidation in sexual assault, which Unidas Podemos refuses, considering that it goes against the essence of the norm and would call into question consent.

Sources from the leadership of Podemos acknowledge that they were informed of the announcement that Sánchez has made.

The day after the vote in Congress —the processing for the approval of the reform of the

law of

only yes is yes

would still require several weeks—, the feminists will arrive divided for the second consecutive year on the symbolic date of 8-M.

The ministers and other leaders of the PSOE will celebrate it separately from their peers from Podemos in different demonstrations.

Andrea Fernández, Secretary of Equality of the Socialists and

number four

of the party in practice, he has affirmed in an implicit allusion to the division that characterizes the movement right now.

“We must defend a strategically united feminism that walks complicitly.

Our transformative force is so powerful that it does not lack enemies, we still do not have all the power that justly corresponds to us.

Our power is given to us by alliances.”

"More things unite us than separate us, it far exceeds any discrepancy we may have," Sánchez emphasized, trying to play down the importance of the struggle, in this case over feminism, between the PSOE and Podemos.

“When we remember March 8, we must first and foremost pay tribute to all the women, feminist organizations and social movements that for decades have changed history and the future in favor of equality.

We feel proud to be able to say that this party and who is its leader and presides over the socialist government of Spain is the most feminist government in the world", stated Rodríguez Zapatero.

"Spain exports rights", the former president added, stressing that the current government is the "most social in the history of Spain" and predicted that "when the time comes, this balance will be unbeatable".

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Pedro Sánchez and María Jesús Montero, this Saturday in Madrid.

JOHN BARBOSA

Prior to her speech, several PSOE feminist references have influenced in a video the impulse that the PSOE has given to equality and parity.

“We established the principle of equality in society”, remarked Matilde Fernández.

"We socialists propose the quota system, the first milestone for us to have equality between men and women," added Francisca Sahuquillo.

"The PSOE would not understand itself without feminism and democracy without equality," intervened Leire Pajín.

“We have managed to implement a concept that is very strong: we are all responsible in the fight against gender violence”, said Elena Valenciano.

"We achieved recognition for women to freely choose their maternity", intervened Bibiana Aído, Prime Minister of Equality.

“Providing a budget for the State Pact against sexist violence is another sign that we were serious, as in decision-making, such as equal pay.

We were and are a feminist government”, concluded Carmen Calvo.

29.3% women on boards of directors

The National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) makes every year, although it publishes it a year late, the so-called Corporate Governance Report where, among other matters, it analyzes the data on the presence of women on the boards of directors .

The last one is from 2021. In it, he highlighted the fact that women are gaining more and more presence in the administrative bodies of listed companies.

Specifically, the female presence on boards experienced an increase to 29.3% (26.1% in 2020), which reached 34.2% on the Ibex 35.

The recommendation of the CNMV's own code of good practices advises a minimum of 30% for 2021 and 40% by the end of 2022. In 2021 this increase occurred in all categories, although it was more significant in independent female directors.

Female executive directors also increased to 6.4% (5.6% in 2020).

The conclusion is that, although the situation has improved in recent years, it is still far from the CNMV's recommendation and much further from the target of parity.

After the entry into force of the law, and to ensure "adequate monitoring of compliance with these obligations", the future norm of equal representation provides for the approval and publication of an annual report on gender equality in the boards of directors


.

In addition, sanctions will be imposed within the framework of the Securities Markets and Investment Services Law on those listed entities "that violate the obligations regarding gender equality in the boards of directors, or that do not prepare and publish the annual report on gender equality", according to the expected content of the draft that will be approved on Tuesday.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2023-03-05

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