Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have given their support to the introduction of a greater number of women representing the top tiers of business.

A resolution on Women and Business Leadership adopted by MEPs this week agreed with the sentiment that the fact that only ten per cent of directors and three per cent of chief executives in the biggest EU companies are female is grounds for action to address the issue.

The non-binding resolution stated that by 2015, women should make up at least 30 per cent of top-level talent, reaching 40 per cent by 2020.

Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, vice-president of the EP, said: "Empowering the role of women on management boards of companies is not only about ethics and equality, it is also essential for economic growth and a competitive internal market."

Recent figures published by Eurostat revealed that unemployment levels in the eurozone were at 9.9 per cent in May, showing no change from April's results.

Posted by Alex Donnell