Push for gender equality stalls as men dominate nominations for EU commission

RFI

30 August 2024 at 1:32 am·1-min read

Hopes that the next European Commission would be equally made up of women and men are floundering after member states put forward an overwhelmingly male list of candidates – defying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen's instructions to submit balanced picks.

With Friday's deadline approaching for European Union members to offer nominees for von der Leyen's 26-person team, 16 of the 21 names known so far are men.

After her re-election in July, the European Commission president had asked states specifically to give her a choice of one male and one female candidate.

Not a single country has done so. As it stands, as few as six women may hold posts in the next EU executive, including von der Leyen herself and the nominee for foreign policy chief, Estonia's outgoing prime minister Kaja Kallas.

The European Women's Lobby, an umbrella group working toward gender equality in the bloc, said the situation was indicative of an "old boys' club" mindset, calling it "beyond embarrassing".

"If member states truly believe only men are fit for these roles or that there are no qualified women in their countries, they're not just out of touch – they're delusional," the group's spokesperson Mirta Baselovic told French news agency AFP.

Equality ambitions

Lina Galvez, chair of the European Parliament's committee on gender equality, said the numbers suggested a clear lack of "political will" from member states that sent a "very bad signal, especially to younger women and girls".

(with AFP)

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Equality ambitions

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