Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

EuropeEquality, diversity and inclusionGenderLatest NewsExecutive recruitment

EU agrees on 40% quota for women on boards

by Jo Faragher 8 Jun 2022
by Jo Faragher 8 Jun 2022 Pic: Shutterstock
Pic: Shutterstock

The EU has agreed to launch a directive requiring larger companies to ensure corporate boards are 40% female.

The Council of the EU and European Parliament agreed that from 30 June 2026, listed companies with more than 250 employees operating in the EU will have to ensure a share of 40% of the “underrepresented sex” – usually women – among non-executive directors.

If member states wish to apply the new rules to both executive and non-executive directors, the target is 33% of all director positions by 2026.

The “provisional political deal” was reached yesterday on passing the new directive, which won’t apply to UK-headquartered companies but could influence progress on gender parity here if companies follow this example.

If companies cannot reach the targets, they must show that they have in place transparent procedures for the selection and appointment of board members to redress the balance.

Gender diversity

Energy sector makes little progress on executive gender diversity 

Women’s promotions at financial services firms lag behind

Government to back new five-year FTSE gender diversity review

On a national level, a country that has “achieved progress coming close to the objectives” or has put in place “equally effective legislation” can suspend the requirements of the directive related to the appointment or selection process.

The EU has been in discussions for 10 years over proposals to mandate gender quotas. In January this year, head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen urged the bloc to press ahead with imposing targets, saying “it’s time to move forward with this file”.

At a Council meeting in March, employment and social affairs ministers from member states agreed on a general approach, which was then negotiated with the European Parliament. There have been three rounds of negotiations since and the agreement will now be submitted to the ‘COREPER’ – the committee of permanent representatives – prior to formal adoption.

In October 2021, 30.6% of board members and 8.5% of board chairs were women across the EU, up from 10.3% and 3% respectively in 2011. But the EU said progress had been “uneven”, leading to what it described as a landmark agreement to introduce quotas.

The EU will not set out sanctions, indicating in a policy paper that these should be set by member states and be “effective, proportionate and dissuasive”.

Companies from the UK, Norway, France and Sweden are closest to having gender-balanced governance, according to the European Women on Boards gender diversity index.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Last month, Denise Wilson, chief executive of the FTSE Women Leaders Review, said many UK companies were “doing the bare minimum” to ensure gender parity at executive and board level, despite the fact that women held more than 39% of board positions at FTSE-listed companies in 2021.

Diversity and inclusion opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more Diversity and inclusion jobs

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
National rail strike set for three days in June
next post
NHS leadership review highlights ‘inadequacy’ in training and development

You may also like

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

RCN warns Darlington NHS trust over single-sex spaces

16 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Culture, ‘micro-incivilities’ and invisible talent

14 May 2025

‘Unacceptable to question integrity’ of Supreme Court judgment

2 May 2025

Tackling suspect gender pay gap data

30 Apr 2025

Trans ex-judge to appeal Supreme Court biological sex...

29 Apr 2025

EHRC: Interim update on single-sex spaces draws criticism

28 Apr 2025

Opposition to Supreme Court sex ruling is ‘wishful...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+