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Looks like our girl, Ursula von der Leyen, is face-to-face with a tough nut to crack in her mission for gender parity within the EU Commission. It appears a handful of those dodgey countries have gone ahead and nominated only dudes for top roles, threatening a two-thirds male representation!
The countdown's ticking, and with the deadline breathing down our necks, over half of these countries are throwing their hats into the ring with a solitary male candidate – remember, each country gets one commissioner spot, including von der Leyen and Commissioner Kaja Kallas. If this continues as is, we're staring at a boys' night out at the Commission, with the current ten ladies barely making a dent.
Germany's female leaders have added their pleas for diversity to keep things balanced, but other countries have been dancing to their own tune, with countries like France, Hungary, and Latvia doing whatever they fancy. France has put forward Thierry Breton as Internal Market Commissioner, while Hungary and Latvia have kept their OGs, Oliver Varhelyi and Valdis Dombrovskis, respectively. Denmark's Dan Jørgensen, Minister for Development Cooperation, is making his way to Brussels as the new Danish Commissioner, putting Denmark's male-dominated selection to shame, considering their long-standing relationship with Commissioner Vestager.
Bulgaria is the only nation that's stepped up with both male and female candidates, offering Ekaterina Sachariewa and Julian Popow to von der Leyen. Belgium's and Italy's candidates are a mystery at the moment, with Italy rumored to be considering Raffaele Fitto as Minister for European Affairs.
Von der Leyen's not Amused with these shenanigans, but she's got no power to force the member states to get their act 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.
The clock's ticking, and nations that resist the call for gender equality risk sullying von der Leyen's and the EU's reputation. A predominantly male Commission could undermine her authority, making her look like a bumbling fool, especially as we approach the US presidential election!
Experts claim that weak male candidates might struggle to gain approval from the Euro Parliament, forcing nations to reconsider their picks. So far, von der Leyen's kept mum, only confirming chats with the nominated candidates and a likely date for dishing out portfolios, coming up on September 11th. Stay tuned for more drama!
For some extra insights, check out these articles:
- The struggle for gender balance in the EU Commission:
- Horizon Europe program promoting gender equality:
- EU Award for Gender Equality Champions:
- Progress on gender equality within the EU Commission:
