Von der Leyen wants to enforce women's quota in the EU Commission

A month ago, Ursula von der Leyen called on the EU member states to fill their candidates for the new Commission on an equal basis - but most states did not comply with her request. That is why von der Leyen is now trying to put pressure on the countries with her departmental requests.

Ursula von der Leyen wants Brussels to have equal representation – around a month ago, as President of the European Commission, she called on the EU member states to nominate one woman and one man for the new Commission. But most governments have paid little attention to this so far. That is why she is now making a final attempt to force the other member states to do so – by jockeying for positions.

According to various reports, Ursula von der Leyen has been pushing for female candidates in her talks with heads of state and government for some time now - but some states have turned her down. They cited domestic political constraints, such as coalition agreements, or the fact that there are no suitable female candidates for the post.

In Ireland, for example, Prime Minister Simon Harris justified the nomination of Finance Minister Michael McGrath by pointing out that the last three Irish Commission members had been women. In Greece, Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas rejected Labour Minister Níki Keraméos as a co-candidate because he was concerned that, as a woman, she might be favored. In the Czech Republic, Jozef Síkela prevailed against two female candidates and in Austria, European Affairs Minister Karoline Edtstadler was rejected by the Greens in the government, so Finance Minister Magnus Brunner will now be nominated.

But the CDU politician is not going to accept that. Although she has no legal means, as Commission President she can certainly exert pressure. The allocation of responsibilities and areas of influence within the Commission is in her hands. Some heads of state and government have already expressed specific wishes as to which departments they would prefer for their representatives. Von der Leyen therefore made it clear that these wishes cannot always be fulfilled with male candidates. Her message is clear: either you send a suitable female candidate or your department request will not be fulfilled.

At the same time, it is clear that even if not all states allow themselves to be blackmailed and no parity is achieved, at least important positions should be filled by women - such as the vice president or in important departments such as competition, trade or the budget. If the women's quota is not achieved quantitatively, it is at least intended to be secured through the political influence of the few women.

Source: Apollo News