Brussels, 17/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Nine countries are seeking to dissuade Viviane Reding from imposing a 40% quota of women in all company boardrooms in firms quoted on the stock exchange. Even though the proposal has not yet been formulated, these member states represent a qualified majority that could scupper the future proposal at the Council. This represents a significant threat to the Commissioner for fundamental rights' warhorse.
Qualified majority of nine countries against quota. Eight other countries are rallying to the British cause to oppose a European quota of women in the boardrooms (see EUROPE 10682). Following the initiative by the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta and the Netherlands have countersigned a letter addressed on Friday 14 September to Reding and José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission. Nine European ministers, two of whom are women, stipulate in the letter that they do not support the adoption of legally binding provisions concerning the presence of women in boardrooms at a European level. This is the first setback suffered by the European Commissioner, who has not yet even formulated proposals - an outline has, however, been leaked, (see EUROPE 10681) - because these member states have sufficient weight to block a proposal at the Council. Sweden and Germany did not sign the letter but their respective ministers in this domain do not support this initiative either.
Battle at EP not yet over. As things currently stand, the ball is therefore in the court of the European Parliament. The coming battle at the European Parliament could also prove to be just as tough over the question of the European quota. Marina Yannakoudakis MEP (ECR, United Kingdom) said that she would block this legislation together with the MEPs from the other nine countries that signed the letter, as well as those from Germany and Sweden who also oppose the plans. She also said that it would save a lot of time and money if the Commission decided to halt its proposals now. She added that she hoped that Barroso (sic) would listen to the member states on this subject.
Commission reactions. Is it possible that the Commission might therefore withdraw its initiative? The spokesperson from Reding's office asserted on Monday 17 September, that the Commission would indeed exercise its right of initiative in this regard, as the instrument had already been announced in the Commission's work programme. It comes as no surprise that Mina Andreeva announced ongoing internal preparations in this respect but said that no proposals were on the table yet. The newspaper, Le Monde, on the other hand, published the apparent response of Reding, as quoted by sources close to her, “fortunately, European laws are not devised by men in suits behind closed doors but by those who follow a democratic process”. These same sources, according to Le Monde, have also responded by stating that they expected opposition but that “it is rare that member states oppose a proposal that has not yet been put forward. It is not very democratic”. (MD/trans/fl)