Welcoming Spanish footballers and world champions Ivana Andrés and Alba Redondo to the European Parliament, President Roberta Metsola thanked them for inspiring young girls and boys across the world and for proving that football is her game too.
Dear Champions, Thank you for joining us to mark International Women’s Day in the European Parliament. Thank you for inspiring young girls and boys across the world. For proving that football is her game too.
Dear colleagues,
From leading businesses or households to steering nations, from breaking barriers in the boardroom to blazing trails in sports, women have changed the world.
That is why we must continue to work harder to level the playing field, and to make women’s contributions more visible. To ensure that every little girl and every little boy has role models to aspire to.
And to do this, it is my pleasure to welcome to the European Parliament, world champions Ivana Andrés and Alba Redondo on behalf of the Spanish football team, that won the 2023 FIFA Women´s World Cup and only a few days ago, the first Women´s Nations League.
Ivana, Alba, we have seen you and your teammates shattering stereotypes, we have seen you reaching your goals... and scoring a lot of them too. Your victory is a reminder that gender cannot and will not hinder the road to success - that hard work, ambition, and determination are qualities that overcome all limitations.
I know that this did not come easy. In sports, inequality persists not least when it comes to media coverage, sponsorship opportunities and pay. More broadly, I think of the women who despite all their best efforts, are still struggling every day to reach their full potential. It is a systemic problem. One that the European Parliament is working hard to uproot.
Everyone has a role to play here. It is up to each one of us to facilitate a paradigm shift in thinking and in working. To foster policies which will eliminate gender barriers. To make it easier for women. To remove the unfair barriers that remain.
That is why International Women's Day is so important. As a day to celebrate women's achievements. But also as a reminder of the remaining work that still needs to be done.
And I am so proud that his House is a global leader on these issues and will remain a force for true equality.
Thank you.
You can read the President's speech in Spanish here.