EU Commission Chief Pressures Countries to Drop Male Nominees for Top Jobs
28th August 2024
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is trying to strongarm several smaller member states into changing their commissioner nominations to women so that she can have the gender-balanced cabinet she vowed to set up. But disregarding countries’ sovereign choice for a PR stunt might not only affect her relationship with the capitals but also hurt any women in her administration, whose rightful place in Brussels could be questioned from now on.
The deadline for nominating members to the second von der Leyen Commission is just days away, and all but five countries have submitted nominations. However, many have chosen to ignore von der Leyen’s request to put forward two names this year—a man and a woman—so that she could come up with a mix of candidates that is at least 50% female.
Out of the 21 nominations so far, 16 are men. There is nothing to be outraged about: there is not a single clause in the treaties that would demand gender parity in the Commission, unlike those that guarantee member states’ right to nominate whoever they see most fit for the job.