Brussels, 14/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - By a wide majority on Monday 13 January, the European Parliament's economic and monetary affairs committee endorsed the appointment of German national Sabine Lautenschläger to the European Central Bank's Executive Board. The EP plenary is expected to confirm the decision on Thursday.
The MEPs quizzed the German candidate, who is currently deputy president of the Bundesbank, on the ECB's special measures, like the OMT programme for buying up sovereign bonds, how to improve credit for companies in countries on the periphery of the eurozone and the work to establish banking union within the eurozone.
The appointment of a woman to the ECB Executive Board, the second after Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell (Austria) who no longer works at the ECB, is good news for the European Parliament, which campaigned in the autumn of 2012 to get member states to recognise in practice the importance of sexual equality at the ECB. Olli Schmidt (ADLE, Sweden) commented in a press release: “The lack of female representation in the ECB's Executive Board, Governing Council and General Council is deeply problematic and confirms the systematic failure in the appointment procedure for top management positions within the Union. Member states have a responsibility to promote women to these top level positions. In the specific case of the ECB Executive Board, we urge member states to meet their commitment and agree on a model for selecting candidates whereby each member state nominates two candidates, one man and one woman.'
Lautenschläger will replace fellow German national Jorg Asmussen, who has stepped down in order to become secretary of state for labour in the German government. (MB/transl.fl)