Ursula’s gender woes: The best laid plans of mice and women
August 30 was more than the second last day before summer unofficially ends in the western hemisphere. It was also the day the boys learntthey probably will still run the world or at least the European Union (EU) and its executive branch. That’s despite the European Commission soon to start a second five-year-term with a woman, Ursula von der Leyen, at its head.
Ms von der Leyen, who has been trying desperately to find candidates to be her commissioners, had asked EU member states to send in diverse nominations, including that other half of the world — women.
Commissioners serve the role of government ministers in the federal European executive and Ms von der Leyen has said she wants “an equal share of men and women” around the European top table. It’s a move, one analysis described as trying to avoid the EU executive looking “like a 1950s corporate boardroom”.
Alas.
The best laid plans of mice and women/gang aft a-gley, as Robert Burns might have written had he been doing poetry in 2024 rather than 1785.
Before the August 30 deadline to submit potential commissioners’ names to Brussels, 14 men and five women had been proposed as candidates, according to media reports.
Then at the last minute, Bulgaria nominated a man and a woman to be European commissioner, just as Ms von der Leyen had requested.
But many EU member states have dragged their feet on Ms von der Leyen’s plea for gender diverse nominees. Others, such as Lithuania and Romania, have ignored it altogether. Malta’s prime minister, Robert Abela, is said to have been keen to avoid swapping out his government’s male nominee for EU commissioner, Glenn Micallef, in favour of Helena Dalli, Malta’s current commissioner in charge of equality. It’s been whispered in the press that changing a male nominee for a suitable woman “would undermine his (Mr Abela’s) authority”.
In a canny strategy, Ms von der Leyen made known that she would offer more powerful portfolios to the right commissioners, should reluctant governments manage to find and propose a woman nominee.
Alas.
The best laid plans of mice and women/gang aft a-gley.
If nothing moves as she wants it, Ms von der Leyen’s new commission will take office in December with roughly a quarter of its senior roles staffed by women (including Commission President von der Leyen herself). It would be a worse gender balance than the first Commission headed by Ms von der Leyen, which took office in 2019 with 44 per cent female representation.
That said, at least Ms Von der Leyen will have some of the sisterhood with her at the top of European politics’ highest mountain. Former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Malta’s Roberta Metsola will be alongside her as the EU’s high representative and president of the European Parliament respectively.
Originally published at https://www.rashmee.com
