Which European countries have most and least female MPs and ministers?
The share of women with seats in national governments and parliaments is growing across the European continent.
In 2024, women held around 35% of national government posts, a 7.4% increase over the past decade, according to the latest Eurostat data.
Finland and Lichtenstein take the lead with a 60% share each, followed by Belgium and the UK with 51%.
Hungary is at the bottom, with no women in government positions.
In 2022, however, the country elected its first female president - Katalin Novák. She held the post until her resignation, in 2024, following a series of controversial presidential pardons.
Female representation is also making progress in European national parliaments.
Over one-third of parliamentarians in the EU are female, a 5.6% increase from 10 years ago.
The largest growth in the past decade took place in Malta, with a 15% increase, Latvia with 13% and France with 10%.
Iceland currently has the largest share across Europe, with women holding 49% of seats.
The country is followed by Sweden, with 45.6%, Finland (45.5%), and Denmark (44.7%).
On the other hand, Cyprus (14.3%), Hungary (14.6%) and Romania (19.5%) have the lowest share.
Now that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has fallen victim to sweeping funding cuts by US President Donald Trump's administration, the future of the pro-democracy media outlet is unclear.
RFE/RL started broadcasting during the Cold War, and has played an important role reporting across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East eve since. Its programmes are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries.
The outlet has also provided critical coverage in Ukraine, especially after Russia labelled Voice of America and Radio Free Europe "foreign agents", adding RFE/RL to the list of "undesirable organisations" in 2024.
Two trademark projects of RFE/RL in Ukraine — Crimea Realities and Donbas Realities — have also provided key sources of information about the Russian-occupied territories.
Yet on Friday night, shortly after Congress passed its latest government funding bill, Trump instructed his administration to reduce the functions of several agencies to the minimum required by law.
These included the US Global Media Agency, a budget-funded government organisation that oversees outlets including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and Radio Marti, which broadcasts Spanish-language news to Cuba.
'The cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's grant agreement would be a massive gift to America's enemies,' the network's President and CEO, Stephen Capus, said in a statement in reaction to the move.
The Czech Republic, which has hosted Radio Free Europe for 25 years, although its corporate headquarters is in Washington, is leading the push to keep the network alive.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has urged the EU to step up and support RFE/RL itself. After he raised the issue during Monday's gathering of foreign ministers in Brussels, EU government ministers debated ways to keep RFE/RL afloat on Tuesday.
Sweden's European Affairs Minister Jessica Rozencrantz insisted on the need to ensure that 'Radio Free Europe really continues to be an important voice for freedom and democracy, especially in those places where it is most needed'.
'Sweden encourages all countries and the (European) Commission to really look into what we can do in terms of financing, to make sure that we continue to have a strong Radio Free Europe,' she told reporters in Brussels ahead of the meeting.
On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recalled the influence the network had on her as she was growing up in Estonia, which was part of the Soviet Union when she was a child.
'It is sad to hear that US is withdrawing its funding,' Kallas told reporters, after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
'Coming from the other side of the Iron Curtain, actually it was (from) the radio that we got a lot of information,' she said. 'So, it has been a beacon of democracy, very valuable in this regard.'
But coming up with funding may prove difficult.
On whether the EU can "fill the void the US is leaving", Kallas said that 'the answer to that question is not automatically, because we have a lot of organisations who are coming with the same request".
Still, Kallas added that 'there was really a push from the foreign ministers to discuss this and find the way'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Sunny Greece struggles with solar energy overload
"Letting them grow too high impairs the panel performance," the 52-year-old explains, wiping sweat from his brow. Once a centre of agricultural production, the area around Kastron Viotias, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) northwest of Athens, has seen solar parks mushroom over the past 15 years, part of a major renewable energy push in the country. Greece currently has 16 gigawatts of renewable energy installed, with solar power representing nearly 10 gigawatts, including 2.5 gigawatts that came on line last year. The rapid growth of solar is similar to other countries in Europe, where it has overtaken coal for electricity production, according to climate think tank Ember. It estimates renewables have risen to account for nearly half of the EU's electricity production. Greece did even better: 55 percent of annual consumption was covered by renewables last year, with solar accounting for around 23 percent, according to SPEF, an association which unites local solar power producers. In 2023, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis predicted that Greece would "soon generate 80 percent of its electricity needs through renewables." But getting there is proving complicated. SPEF chairman Stelios Loumakis said that the solar sector has hit a wall because of a combination of factors, including Greece's small size, limited infrastructure and delays in building up energy storage capacity. Saturated The Greek state approved too many photovoltaic projects over the last five years and the market is saturated, leading to a "severe production surplus" on sunny days, the 56-year-old chemical engineer and energy consultant said. Greece's national grid operator in May repeatedly ordered thousands of medium-sized operators to shut down during the sunniest hours of the day to avoid overburdening the network and triggering a blackout. "The trick is to balance supply and demand. If you don't do it well, you get a blackout," said Nikos Mantzaris, a senior policy analyst and partner at the independent civil organisation Green Tank. In April, a huge blackout of unknown origin crippled the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish government has said two major power fluctuations were recorded in the half-hour before the grid collapse, but the government insisted renewables were not to blame. "It could be something as mundane as a faulty cable," Mantzaris said. Batteries 'crucial' To manage the surplus, Greece is building battery storage capacity. But catching up to its solar electricity production will take years. "The next three years will be crucial," said Stelios Psomas, a policy advisor at HELAPCO, a trade association for Greek companies producing and installing solar panels. In the meantime, solar panel operators will have to ensure production does not outstrip capacity, thereby limiting their potential earnings. "Managing high shares of renewables -- especially solar -- requires significant flexibility and storage solutions," said Francesca Andreolli, a senior researcher at ECCO, a climate change think tank in Italy, which faces a similar problem. "Battery capacity has become a structural necessity for the electricity system, by absorbing excess renewable energy and releasing it when demand rises," she told AFP. Farm income Mimis Tsakanikas, a 51-year-old farmer in Kastron, readily admits that solar has been good to his family. The photovoltaic farm they built in 2012 at a cost of 210,000 euros clears at least 55,000 euros a year, far more than he could hope to earn by growing vegetables and watermelons. "This park sustains my home," he said. But the father of two also notes that the environmental balance has tipped in his area, with the spread of solar installations now causing concerns about the local microclimate. Tsakanikas says the area has already experienced temperature rises of up to 4.0 degrees Celsius (7.2 Fahrenheit), which he blames on the abundance of heat-absorbing solar panel parks in the area. "The microclimate has definitely changed, we haven't seen frost in two years," he told AFP. "(At this rate) in five years, we'll be cultivating bananas here, like in Crete," he said. © 2025 AFP
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Russia carries out 'massive' drone attacks on Kyiv, Odesa
Russia carried out "massive" drone attacks on Ukraine 's capital Kyiv and port city of Odesa early Tuesday, killing one person and hitting a maternity hospital, Ukrainian officials said, calling for further sanctions. Moscow has kept up its attacks on Ukraine, which has hit back with strikes deep inside Russian territory, while peace talks held over the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. "Russia lies every day about its desire for peace and attacks people every day. Time to impose sanctions. Time to support Ukraine with weapons. Time to prove that democracy has power," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Telegram. A 59-year-old man was killed in the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Odesa on Tuesday, and at least four others were wounded, said Governor Oleg Kiper. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones. There is damage to civilian infrastructure and fires," Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. In central Kiev, an AFP journalist heard at least 12 explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. "Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding in a separate post around 3:00 am (0000 GMT) that "a new batch of UAVs (drones) is flying to the capital". Several people were reported wounded in the attacks that hit at least seven districts, with buildings and cars on fire. Prisoner swap Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. On Sunday, Russia launched a record 479 explosive drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Despite efforts by US President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, a second round of peace talks in Turkey are at a standstill. The only concrete agreement reached at the talks over the weekend was for release all seriously wounded or sick prisoners of war and those under the age of 25 -- a deal that did not specify the number of soldiers involved. While welcoming POW exchanges, Zelensky said last week said it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. On Sunday, the Russian army also claimed to have attacked the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, already partially under Russian control, a first in more than three years of conflict. "Time for everyone to finally accept the fact that Russia understands only strikes, not rational words," Ukraine's Yermak said on Tuesday, in a thinly veiled criticism of the Trump administration. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Moscow claims to have annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that it would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal from its territory and security guarantees from the West, describing Moscow's demands as "ultimatums".
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Ukraine says 'massive' Russia drone attacks hit Kyiv, Odesa
Moscow has kept up its attacks on Ukraine, which has hit back with strikes deep inside Russian territory, while peace talks held over the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. "Russia lies every day about its desire for peace and attacks people every day. Time to impose sanctions. Time to support Ukraine with weapons. Time to prove that democracy has power," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Telegram. A 59-year-old man was killed in the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Odesa on Tuesday, and at least four others were wounded, said Governor Oleg Kiper. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones. There is damage to civilian infrastructure and fires," Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. In central Kiev, an AFP journalist heard at least 12 explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. "Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding in a separate post around 3:00 am (0000 GMT) that "a new batch of UAVs (drones) is flying to the capital". Several people were reported wounded in the attacks that hit at least seven districts, with buildings and cars on fire. Prisoner swap Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. On Sunday, Russia launched a record 479 explosive drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Despite efforts by US President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, a second round of peace talks in Turkey are at a standstill. The only concrete agreement reached at the talks over the weekend was for release all seriously wounded or sick prisoners of war and those under the age of 25 -- a deal that did not specify the number of soldiers involved. While welcoming POW exchanges, Zelensky said last week said it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. On Sunday, the Russian army also claimed to have attacked the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, already partially under Russian control, a first in more than three years of conflict. "Time for everyone to finally accept the fact that Russia understands only strikes, not rational words," Ukraine's Yermak said on Tuesday, in a thinly veiled criticism of the Trump administration. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Moscow claims to have annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that it would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal of from its territory and security guarantees from the West, describing Moscow's demands as "ultimatums". © 2025 AFP
