By Martin Banks - 17th November 2009
The EU has still not achieved anything close to gender parity
MEP statement
A cross-party group of MEPs have said it is "inadmissible" that "so few" women have been nominated for places in the new commission.
So far, only three of the 20 confirmed nominees for the new commission are female.
They are Cypriot Androulla Vassiliou, Viviane Reding, from Luxembourg, and Bulgarian Rumiana Jeleva.
This comes despite commission president José Manuel Barroso previously insisting that he wanted more women commissioners.
The current commission, which is due to end shortly, has eight female commissioners.
Six MEPs from different political groups issued a statement on Tuesday expressing alarm at the lack of women candidates and calling for more gender balance in the new commission.
They include UK Liberal Diana Wallis, a vice-president of parliament.
The statement said, "After more than 50 years of gender equality treaty articles and legislation, the EU has still not achieved anything close to gender parity among its own top jobs, let alone in other areas of EU society.
"The EU loses credibility as a force fighting for gender equality when it cannot achieve such goals even within its own ranks.
"The EU's top decision makers should reflect the people they serve.
"Men have already been appointed to the presidencies of the commission and parliament.
"It is therefore inadmissible that so few female names are in the frame for the posts of council president and foreign affairs high representative.
"It is also unacceptable that only three of 27 member states have so far confirmed they will nominate a female commissioner.
"The fewer the women in the proposed commission, the greater its disadvantage when it is presented to parliament for a vote of approval.
There is a shared responsibility for the composition of the new commission in terms of the quality of the candidates and its overall gender balance.
"The nominations by EU leaders are however critical and we call for action to ensure that more women are put forward for the EU's top jobs," it said.
The six deputies are Rebecca Harms, Greens, Diana Wallis, ALDE, Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, EPP-ED, Britta Thomsen, S&D, Ilda Figueiredo, GUE/NGL, and Marije Cornelissen, Greens/EFA.
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