Of the 17 EU capitals that have named their Commissioner picks so far, only five (29%) have put forth a female candidate.
The roster of candidates bidding to join Ursula von der Leyen’s next College of Commissioners is predominantly male, with only five of the 17 countries that have so far nominated candidates putting forth a woman.
This means that just 29% of nominees to date are female, which is an early challenge for the Commission president von der Leyen as she aims to ensure gender parity during her second term in office.
The College is the cabinet that steers the work of the EU’s executive arm and is formed of one Commissioner representing each of the bloc’s 27 member states.
Von der Leyen, representing Germany, had asked capitals to nominate two candidates — one male and one female — to give her leeway in appointing a gender-balanced College. No member state has yet obeyed that demand.
“I want to pick the best-prepared candidates who share the European commitment. Once again, I will aim for an equal share of men and women at the College table,” she told the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg following her re-election in July.
EU governments have until 30 August to submit the names of their nominees to von der Leyen, who is due to start interviewing nominees this week. She is then expected to allocate policy portfolios to candidates in time for their appointment votes in the relevant committees of the European Parliament in September and October.
With von der Leyen herself elected as president and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on track to become the EU’s foreign policy chief and one of the Commission’s vice presidents, the most prestigious roles in the executive are set to be occupied by women.
The three other women nominees come from Croatia, Spain and Sweden. The current Croatian Commissioner Dubravka Šuica has been nominated to stay on for another term, Spain has put forth environment minister Teresa Ribera in a bid to secure a high-profile climate or energy portfolio, while Sweden has also fielded a heavyweight in EU affairs minister Jessika Roswall.
Female candidates scarce
Yet, men are dominating the race for the remaining Commissioner posts. Of the nine member states yet to announce nominations, rumoured female picks are few and far between.
The Danish minister for development cooperation and global climate policy, Dan Jørgensen, is the frontrunner to be nominated by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, according to EU diplomats.
Miguel Poiares Maduro, a former regional development minister, is also tipped to be Portugal’s choice. The Luxembourgish government, meanwhile, is rumoured to be torn between two male candidates: current Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, a socialist, and MEP Christophe Hansen, who belongs to the governing centre-right party.
In the remaining six countries that are undecided or keeping their choices under wraps — Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, Lithuania and Romania — there are few female candidates tipped to be nominated.
Von der Leyen’s next move unclear
Von der Leyen is the first woman to preside over the EU’s executive arm, and has vowed to develop a “Roadmap for Women’s Rights” during her second term to close the gender pay and pensions gap, tackle violence against women and reconcile care and career.
But her credibility as an advocate of women’s rights is at stake unless she is able to strike a balance in her own team.
Her outgoing Commission was the most equal to date, composed of 14 men and 13 women. In previous terms, women have been sorely underrepresented, making up just a third of former President Jean-Claude Juncker’s cabinet between 2014 and 2019.
ADVERTISEMENTHowever, her demand for two nominations representing both genders is not enforceable by law, meaning she relies on the goodwill of EU leaders.
Asked by Euronews what action von der Leyen could take, a European Commission spokesperson said in a statement: “A couple of weeks ago, the Commission sent the President’s letter to the Member States asking them for the names of candidates for the post of Commissioner. The deadline for the answer from Member States is 30 August.”
“We will not be commenting on individual announcements by Member States in this context,” the spokesperson added.
Countries have aimed to justify flouting von der Leyen’s demand for two names by saying they are selecting the best candidate for the job.
ADVERTISEMENTIrish Taoiseach Simon Harris said in July that he would only field former Finance Minister Michael McGrath despite taking gender parity “extremely seriously”.
Harris said Dublin “doesn’t lightly send their finance minister to Brussels,” meaning the government could be reluctant to propose another female candidate to compete with heavyweight McGrath.
