Updated Take:
Uh oh! It looks like ol' Ursula von der Leyen, EU Commission President, is hit with a stubborn roadblock on her quest for gender equality in the Commission. A good chunk of those sketchy member states have nominated only blokes for the top positions, risking a two-thirds male representation!
With a deadline fast approaching, over half of the nations have tossed their hats in the ring with a single man as the candidate – each country gets one commissioner spot, don't forget, including von der Leyen and Foreign Affairs boss Kaja Kallas. If these noms stick, the new Commission could be a sausage fest. Currently, we got twelve ladies gracing the Commission, so this ain't exactly a fair fight.
Germany's gal put in a request for diverse candidates to maintain balance, but government butter-fingers like France, Hungary, and Latvia have done whatever the hell they please. France nominated Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner, while Hungary and Latvia stuck with their current OGs, Oliver Varhelyi and Valdis Dombrovskis, respectively. Denmark's Dan Jørgensen, Minister for Development Cooperation, is on his way to Brussels as the new Danish Commissioner, causing the country's Prime Minister to shrug off any shame about their lackluster female representation, as they've enjoyed Vestager's presence for yonks.
Bulgaria is the only perfidious nation to propose both male and female candidates. Madam Ekaterina Sachariewa and Julian Popow are their generous offerings to von der Leyen. The Belgian and Italian candidates are still shrouded in mystery, with rumors that Italy might tap Raffaele Fitto as Minister for European Affairs.
Von der Leyen is none too pleased with these shenanigans, but she can't force the member states to get their acts together. The EU Treaty only calls for the Commission to exhibit the Union's demographic and geographic diversity – they're missing the memo about gender balance completely.
Deadlines be ticking, and nations that resist the call for gender equality risk sullying von der Leyen's and the EU's reputations. A predominantly male Commission could undermine her authority and make her look like a bumbling fool. Brace yourself for potential delays on the upcoming Commission's start date during a crucial geopolitical period, just as we approach the US presidential election!
Experts claim that weak male candidates might struggle to gain approval from the Euro Parliament, compelling nations to reevaluate their picks. So far, von der Leyen has kept mum on the going-ons, only confirming chats with the nominated candidates and a likely date for dishing out portfolios – September 11. Stay tuned for more drama!
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