The European Commission aims to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment, free of discrimination, where our workforce is representative of our society.
Fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace
The European Commission has adopted several policies to strengthen Europe’s commitment to equality, such as:
- a gender equality strategy
- an antiracism action plan
- a Roma strategic framework
- a strategy for the rights of LGBTIQ persons
- a strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities
As an employer, the Commission has set itself the goal of leading by example. In its new HR strategy, it aims to improve diversity among its staff to better reflect the diversity of the European population.
In the current Commission mandate (2019-2024), one of the political priorities is to achieve gender parity at all management levels.
As at 1 April 2022, the share of women in management functions is:
- up 6.5 percentage points at senior management level (43.1%)
- up 4 percentage points at middle management level (45.5%)
- 45% overall
This already places the Commission among the very few public administrations around the world with the highest share of women in leadership positions. However, our aim is gender equality at all levels. To reach this aim, incremental measures are being put in place gradually, so that by the end of the current Commission mandate overall parity can be reached.
In addition, the institution is determined to practise a zero-tolerance policy regarding discrimination on all grounds towards its staff members, as enshrined in the Treaty on the functioning the European Union.
The Diversity and Inclusion Office (DIO) in DG Human Resources was created in 2020 to:
- coordinate the development of a diverse and inclusive work culture
- cooperate with other institutions and organisations in this respect
In 2021, the Commission conducted a survey to gauge perceptions of diversity and inclusion among people working in the Commission, its executive agencies and the European External Action Service. The 10,000 responses give us a picture of staff sentiment and will feed into a new diversity and inclusion action plan, which is designed to improve the current working environment and the prospects of the Commission as an employer.