Hungary Becomes the Only EU Country Without a Female Minister

Hungary has now become the only country in the European Union without a female minister in the government. This comes after the resignation of Justice Minister Judit Varga, as reported by Euronews.

Judit Varga announced her resignation at the end of June, stating her intention to lead the ruling party "Fidesz" campaign in the June 2024 European Parliament elections. She had been serving as the Justice Minister since 2019.

Following Varga's resignation, her position will be taken over by Benkő Tibor. Currently, all 14 ministerial positions in Hungary are held by men, making it the sole instance of such a situation in the European Union.

As of August 1, according to Euronews data, slightly over 33% of ministerial positions in the European Union are held by women. Among other countries with active female representation in the government is Finland, where two-thirds of the new right-wing cabinet are women.

In countries like the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, and Austria, women lead 50% or more of the ministries. Sweden, Germany, and France are also among the countries that have achieved greater gender equality in politics. However, it is expected that the composition of the Dutch and Spanish governments will change. The Netherlands is set to hold snap elections in November following the resignation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government last month. Spain, which has not yet concluded its July elections, is also expected to face a week-long political impasse as both the People's Party (PP) and the incumbent Socialist Party seek coalition partners.

Nevertheless, there are countries where female representation in the government is low. These include Malta, the Czech Republic, and Poland, where less than 15% of ministerial positions are occupied by women, along with Hungary, which also falls into this group with insufficient representation of women in power.

It's worth noting that Hungary has once again delayed the ratification of Sweden's application for NATO membership, as the pro-Russian party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán boycotted the special parliamentary session convened by opposition parties. The session was ultimately postponed due to the absence of ruling party members, who hold a two-thirds majority in it.