The alumnae of the European Women's Academy (EWA) have signed a letter in solidarity with European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner Věra Jourová. The EWA aims to promote gender equality in politics and decision-making across Europe by empowering and supporting women that want to be active in liberal politics. EWA is the leading network of its kind in Europe, and is a partnership between the ALDE party, The European Liberal Forum (ELF) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

We, the European Women’s Academy alumnae, wish to express our solidarity with our colleague and ally Commissioner Věra Jourová and join with her in standing up for rule of law in Europe.

Unfortunately, there are too few female voices in leadership across the EU, and Commissioner Jourová’s courage in calling out those who seek to undermine hard-won democratic progress show why their voices matter. We say to those feigning outrage at a powerful woman who stands for democratic values: get used to it.

The EWA Alumnae Advisory Board:

Eva De Bleeker (Belgium, Open VLD)
Joanna Burnos (Alde Individual Member)
Madelaine Jakobsson (Sweden, Centerpartiet)
Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen (Lithuania, Liberal Movement)
Emma Murphy (Fianna Fáil, Ireland)
Jasmina Mrso (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Naša stranka)
Joyce Onstad (United Kingdom, Liberal Democrats)
Bettina Stark-Watzinger (Germany, FDP)
Diana Topcic Rosenberg (Croatia, GLAS)
Stina Wahlsten (Finland, Swedish People’s Party)