States ignore gender equality for new European Commission | International

In this new legislature, two of the three main European institutions, the Commission and the European Parliament, will be headed by women for the second time in a row. Another woman, Estonian Kaja Kallas, if confirmed, will direct the EU’s foreign and security policy, one of the most responsible positions in Brussels, especially in the current international war of words. But the glass ceiling is still far from being broken in Europe and even in its community capital. The more than symbolic attempt by the head of the European executive, Ursula von der Leyen, to once again form an equal team (that is, one with no more than 60% of either sex, a goal that was achieved in her first term) has failed before it has even begun.’ Most states have turned a deaf ear to her calls to nominate both a man and a woman for the position of commissioner so that she can form a balanced team.

With Denmark’s announcement this Wednesday that it will propose a man as a candidate for commissioner, the current Minister for Development and Climate Action, Dan Jorgensen, there are now 17 countries that have officially proposed a male candidate for the European Executive. Only six (apart from Germany with von der Leyen) have chosen a woman. Among them are Spain, which, according to official sources, recently confirmed the candidacy of Vice President Teresa Ribera, and Portugal, whose name of former Finance Minister Maria Luis Alburquerque was also announced this Wednesday. Three countries are still yet to announce their candidate: Italy, which is expected to do so on Friday, the day the official deadline to present a candidate expires, but the pools are betting on a man. Also missing are Belgium and Bulgaria, which will probably be out of date.

In any case, at this point, equality in this new team seems impossible, since, yes, von der Leyen still has to validate and the European Parliament ratifies it a few weeks later.

“A Commission dominated by men indicates von der Leyen’s inability to impose her will on capitals at the start of the new mandate, thus acknowledging that national interests (the unilateral selection of her commissioner by the states) take precedence over the general interest of the EU (a gender-balanced Commission), warns Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law and Policy at HEC Paris, in x.

The damage is not just behind closed doors. It is a “missed opportunity” for the EU and its external image, laments Jerome Andolfatto, head of gender policies at the European Women’s Lobby, an organization that defends women’s interests at the European level. “It is now time for Europe to act on the conversation. If it wants to be a world leader on equality or women’s rights, the EU must take this as an opportunity to send a powerful message that equality is non-negotiable and that the EU will lead by example, not just with words but with concrete actions,” he says by phone.

“I don’t know with what legitimacy we will be able to demand compliance with certain democratic standards, inside and outside Europe, if we ourselves are not capable of respecting them,” agrees Socialist MEP Lina Gálvez, who will chair the commission for women’s rights and gender equality during this term of the European Parliament.

The decision of most states to ignore von der Leyen’s request comes at the peak of the advance of the far right across Europe, also in the European elections. “It seems particularly serious to me that (equality) is not considered a priority in the formation of institutions at a time of attacks on democracy, where anti-democratic movements around the world are against anti-equality and gender equality policies, feminism and women,” criticizes the MEP.

Another step back

The European Parliament to which Gálvez and his colleagues are preparing to return to begin preparations for the new political cycle – one of the priority tasks of the beginning of the year will be the confirmation (or not) of the new commissioners – cannot claim the same despite the fact that it will be chaired by another woman, Roberta Metsola, of feminist Purple. The European Parliament of 2024-29 has fallen short of the 40% women that is considered the minimum percentage to consider gender balance (according to the European directives on gender equality). And it marks another step back with respect to the male-female ratio of the previous legislative period – a whole percentage point. It is also the first time that the statistical curve has come down, after a slow and difficult progress of women in European bodies, as can be seen in the portraits of their leaders that filled the corridors of Brussels institutions.

It’s not just about the number of women among the 720 new MEPs: inequality is also observed in the distribution of functions, where women have a very low presence in the most important committees, such as the economic, budgetary or international affairs committees. “There is a horizontal segregation,” Andolfatto denounced. All this when, remember, “there is a legal obligation in the European treaties to guarantee equality between men and women and to integrate a gender perspective in European policies.”

Something that, apparently, states do not enforce. But can the masculinisation of the Commission still be reversed? According to Alemanno, there is scope: “From a legal point of view, von der Leyen’s approval is needed so that the final agreement can be finalised and the team of commissioner candidates can be presented to the European Parliament for a vote,” it indicated in the affiliate.

But there is a problem: the gender issue is not one of the reasons why a candidate can be rejected, because equality is not stipulated as a requirement in the treaties. Von der Leyen has been talking intensively with almost all capitals in recent weeks. According to malta time, German will be pressing the island to consider withdrawing its nominee, the little-known Glenn Micallef, and replacing him with a woman. Helena Dalli is Malta’s current representative on the outgoing Commission in the equality portfolio.

One of the proposals floating around in Brussels these days is that von der Leyen assign the most important portfolios to female candidates, who could also be named vice presidents. And this falls within her powers. “It would send a strong signal, it would be a way for von der Leyen to reclaim the narrative,” says Andolfatto. However, gender is not the only asset you should consider when building your team: you also have to maintain a geographical balance and take into account the weight of countries.

There are also those who hope that Parliament will reject some male nominees in the confirmation process. After all, the rules clearly stipulate that “Parliament will pay special attention to the balance between men and women.” However, Galvez sees this as difficult. “Pull back some male commissioners? Whom, by what criteria? If we are looking for justice, we cannot have injustice along the way,” he warns, warning that, with the current distribution of MEPs, where almost a third come from the extreme right, this would also be nearly impossible.

A lack of parity threatens to tarnish an already complex new mandate. “Gender equality is not charity, political correctness or something to please feminists,” Andolfatto stressed. “It is guaranteeing that the decisions that are going to be made are efficient, effective and representative for all Europeans, and that is good policy. Many studies show that a more diverse leadership infrastructure leads to better policies.” Von der Leyen couldn’t agree more. Although they don’t let her prove it.

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