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Mr President, women represent half of Europe’s talent. We must not waste this creative potential. If we succeed in channelling this potential into the economy, we will make a huge leap forward, with regard both to the attitudes still present in European societies and to the Union’s new agenda for more growth, jobs and competitiveness.

Equal opportunities do exist on paper. The Union has produced at least 13 directives on gender equality. The principle is anchored in the Treaty and in the constitutions and legislative acts of Member States, but the real-life data speak a different language. Never before were women so well educated, but, when it comes to entrepreneurship, women are still largely under-represented.

On the gender pay gap, virtually nothing has moved in recent years. When doing business, women rarely default when it comes to reimbursing their loans, but access to finance is more difficult for women, and this is determined by the banks’ quest for collateral. You need to have more money in order to borrow money, but only 1% of the world’s assets are owned by women.

Despite higher qualifications, despite higher education, women remain totally under-represented among decision-makers. Getting more women into decision-making positions is the key to everything. Women can promote their case and market their agenda, but the real power lies in decision-making, and that is why women ought to take part.

Critical mass is essential to bring about change. One single woman in a decision-making body will soon have to adapt her behaviour, to be accepted by the male majority. As a starter, having a few women on a decision-making board could already make a difference, yet all these strategies will help little if we do not succeed in removing the biggest obstacle for women: reconciling family and working life. Remaining obstacles call for a policy response, and that is why we still need policies geared towards gender, both at national and European level.