Ursula von der Leyen warns: EU plans for gender compensation in danger

Ursula von der Leyen warns: EU plans for gender compensation in danger

Brussels faces a crucial phase in the nomination of the future commission team. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, is faced with growing concerns in view of the pending nominations of the EU member states. The reason: According to the results of the research of the German Press Agency, many states are apparently not ready to ensure a balanced gender distribution among their candidates. This could mean that the new management team, which is supposed to consist of 27 members and is of technical relevance for the EU, will be composed of around two thirds of men.

At the moment, the Commission Council already has twelve women among the 27 members, but based on this, the Commission threatens to fall behind the growing pressure, which results from the equality -oriented agenda of von der Leyen. The continued lack of gender balance is particularly worrying, since the president asked for active action by the Member States to suggest both a man and a woman to nominate. Unfortunately, this request has not spread as planned, and many capitals apparently ignored this important claim.

Despite the appeal, little movement

In particular, Denmark has publicly stated that one does not have to be ashamed to do a neutral nomination and only want to suggest a man for the office. This is a point that questions the determination of the Leyen's efforts. In the current discussion, many critical voices emphasize that the lack of female nominations is not only a question of equality, but also the credibility and reputation of the entire EU.

The nomination proposals of countries such as France, Hungary and Latvia show that some Member States are willing to confirm existing commissioners, but apparently do not see the need to support the gender parity required by Leyen. Only Bulgaria has put a proposal on the table that includes both male and female candidates.

legal framework unclear

The challenge for von der Leyen also remains on a legal level. Her demand that Member States nominate both a man and a woman cannot be made an accusable. The EU contract only gives the topic of gender relationship a subordinate status: it is only emphasized that demographic and geographical diversity of the Member States should be depicted. This means that the Leyen may not have the legal means to enforce their vision of a gender -friendly commission.

The current situation could have serious consequences, not only for the Leyen's position, but also for the reputation of the entire institution. Alberto Alemanno, an expert in EU law, warns that a strongly male-dominated college could endanger the authority and effectiveness of the Commission. He demands from the President to make it clear to the Member States that they are dissatisfied and have to rethink the nominations in order to counteract the impending reputation damage.

If the governments concerned do not act proactively, weak male contenders could have difficulties on a positioned commission to receive the necessary approval of the European Parliament. This could lead to delays that would be particularly problematic, since the new commission should actually start its official business on November 1 - a critical point in time that presses in the geopolitical landscape of the USA.