Since 1958, there have been 183 EU commissioners. Only 35 were women, less than 20 percent. We represent half of the population and deserve fair representation, Ursula von der Leyen argued five years ago after receiving approval from the European Parliament. Five years on, although her first term saw the most gender-balanced team yet with 13 women and 14 men, the European Commission president remains far from ensuring that European governments commit to gender parity and nominate more women for the college of commissioners.
Following the June European elections, the reshaped Parliament seated in mid-July, and Von der Leyen’s reelection, assembling the new team has become the main early test for the conservative German leader at the start of the new European political season. Negotiations are not advancing as she would like, and achieving a balanced squad of men and women remains challenging due to many capitals choosing to ignore her demand to propose both male and female candidates.
The president continues to insist that in a modern world it is essential to have as many women as possible in leadership roles. She is doing everything in her power to ensure a well-balanced college consisting of capable commissioners and as many women as possible in the college as a whole, stated this Tuesday the Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer, without detailing the current state of talks or the interviews with various nominees.
Pressure on capitals
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Who are the 26 names proposed by European capitals to renew the political engine behind EU legislative initiatives? Each member state can nominate a candidate for the new college of commissioners. This team is essential in negotiating trade deals and preparing sectoral legislation that will need the Parliament’s approval after Von der Leyen gives the green light to proceed.
At present, only two names are fixed: Ursula von der Leyen herself and Estonia’s former prime minister Kaja Kallas, chosen by European leaders as the new high representative for foreign and security policy and as a vice-president of the Commission. Like all commissioners-to-be, she will face a parliamentary hearing in the European Parliament committees in September and October.
In late July, a week after her election, Von der Leyen wrote to many European leaders asking them to submit their candidates by August 30. The name puzzle on the table shows not all capitals have met her gender parity parameters. Von der Leyen proposed that only states renewing their outgoing commissioner should be exempt from submitting a woman’s name.
The rest must propose one male and one female candidate, a requirement that has irritated several capitals who preferred to stay with a single name. Ireland’s prime minister Simon Harris recently announced a respectful decision to send only one name, for instance. So far only seven countries, including Germany and Estonia, have submitted women candidates while 17 have put forward men. Some experts warn that the next European Commission could be the least balanced in two decades with only a handful of women in key positions, due to a lack of willingness from capitals to present two candidates rather than one.
From the current College of Commissioners, several incumbents seek reappointment: Wopke Hoekstra of the Netherlands, holding climate action since last October; Maroš Šefčovič of Slovakia, the executive vice-president for relations with the United Kingdom; Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice-president and trade chief; Thierry Breton of France; Olivér Várhelyi of Hungary; and Dubravka Šuica of Croatia. Only Šuica is a woman among them.
Seven women on the list
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So far the only countries to nominate female candidates are Sweden with European affairs minister Jessika Roswall, Finland with MEP Henna Virkkunen, Portugal with former deputy and secretary of state Maria Luis Albuquerque, and Spain with Teresa Ribera, the third vice president and minister for ecological transition, aiming for a portfolio of great importance. Most other capitals have named men. Austria proposed finance minister Magnus Brunner, mirroring Ireland’s choice of former minister Michael McGrath.
The Czech government also aims to place its minister of industry and trade Jozef Síkela at the helm of the Commission. Slovenia would nominate former head of the Court of Audit Tomaz Vesel, while Lithuania awaits its choice, with former prime minister and ex-MEP Andrius Kubilius in contention after a difficult internal negotiation.
Other capitals have chosen lower-profile figures, all men so far. Luxembourg backed MEP Christophe Hansen, a farmer turned trade advocate; Malta’s choice is Glen Micallef, the prime minister’s chief of staff, though local press suggests pressure to replace him with a woman. Poland sent a seasoned diplomat and Brussels veteran Piotr Serafin; Denmark confirmed plans to replace powerful Margrethe Vestager with former climate minister Dan Jorgensen.
Handful of surprises
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Time is running out, and countries like Belgium, Bulgaria, and Italy have yet to move. Rumors point to male appointments in most cases, with Bulgaria possibly naming a woman in the end.
As president, Von der Leyen holds the power to decide how many vice presidencies exist within the new team, reshuffle portfolios, and assign roles to nominees. She must consider geographic, political, and gender balance. If governments resist her gender parity rules, she could retaliate by assigning lighter portfolios to them, while rewarding those who commit to a more balanced college.
According to former eurodeputy Andrew Duff, Von der Leyen will find it hard to reject candidates many capitals propose, but she will likely use her power to promote favorites and demote those she likes less.