Brussels, 17/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - Women members of all the main political groups at the European Parliament are rallying to ensure women are better represented within the next European Commission. “We have been too kind over recent months and we are still waiting in front of the door - we now want to come in!” said Diana Wallis on Tuesday 17 November, expressing the annoyance if not anger that women feel given the lack of female candidates designated by member states. During a press conference, the elected British Liberal Democrat member and five of her colleagues at the EP threw themselves into the fray, threatening not to vote in favour of the Barroso II team unless it contained a sufficient number of women.
“We have come to a point when women at the EP should say enough is enough!”, exclaimed Rebecca Harms of Germany, who is co-president of the Greens/EFA. She urges Mr Barroso to tackle the matter again with member states to ask them to put more female candidates forward as, she criticised, if the current trend continues, “participation by women in shouldering European responsibilities will be practically non-existent and we shall find ourselves almost in the same situation as in Saudi Arabia”. “The EP has always defended political equality and Europe must set the example”, said Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Greek member of the EPP-ED, who demands that heads of state take the “female” dimension into consideration when making their choice, including for the two posts of European Council president and high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. A woman at these posts would give the “picture of a Europe that is closer to the citizens, more amiable, more accessible and, why not, more effective”, she said.
If the process underway does not give women their due, it is because discrimination against women still prevails within the EU, added Ilda Figueiredo (GUE-NGL, Portugal), who takes the view that “if there is regression in the proposals for the European Commission, we can consider that as a sign of regression for women's rights in the EU also”. Although there has been progress in recent years (with 25% of women in the Santer Commission, 26% in the Prodi Commission and 30% in the current Barroso Commission), a return to under 15% would take us 15 years backwards, Marije Cornelissen confirmed. The Dutch Green member asked whether it was really appropriate for women to let their moustaches grow in order to maximise their chance of gaining access to posts.
Joking aside, Ms Wallis explained she would find it “very difficult” to vote for any Commission that was composed of fewer women than in the current College of Commissioners. Without a sufficient number of women (she deems at least 8 are needed), “I shall no doubt vote against and I think others will do the same”, Ms Wallis warned, saying that only three women have currently been put forward by member states for posts at the Commission. Her Danish colleague, Britta Thomsen, asserted that women from her political group (S&D) share this stance. “If the number of women does not reach at least the number in the last Commission's term of office, then we shall abstain or vote against the proposal for a new Commission” under José Manuel Barroso, she said. (A.B./transl.jl)