Daily Times

A showdown is brewing over the gender makeup of the next European Commission after member states put forward an overwhelmingly male candidate lineup — in open defiance of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. With the clock ticking down on a Friday deadline for European Union capitals to offer nominees for von der Leyen’s 26-person team, 16 of the 21 names known so far are men.

That is despite the fact the commission chief asked states explicitly, following her re-election in July, to give her a choice of one male and one female candidate.

Not a single country has done so — and as it stands, women may occupy as few as six posts in the next EU executive, including von der Leyen herself and the nominee for foreign policy chief, Estonia’s outgoing leader Kaja Kallas. The European Women’s Lobby (EWL), 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,” said the group’s spokesperson Mirta Baselovic.

Lina Galvez, chair of the European Parliament committee on gender equality, likewise 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”. At the root of the situation is a power play between von der Leyen and European capitals that may well back goals like gender parity on paper, but in practice resist having their hands tied in any way.

“As member states we expect von der Leyen to strive for gender parity,” said an EU diplomat on condition of anonymity. “At the same time, we also believe that it is up to us to propose the commissioner we prefer.”

“Unfortunately those two desires don’t seem to align this time around.”