We need more women at the top table of Europe

By Glenis Willmott

This article was first published on the Progress website.

There are 27 members who sit around the table of the European commission. Each member state has one nominee, spreading the areas of responsibility fairly around Europe‘s nations. Where the fairness ends, however, is when it comes to having a fair share of women at Europe’s top table. Of the 27 commissioners in the Barroso commission which ends later this year, there are currently nine women.

Rumours from Strasbourg last week suggest this already poor figure is set to get worse under the new commission which should be in place before Christmas.

In an era when even the Tories are accepting the legacy of Labour’s all women shortlists to ensure gender balanced politics, it is high time the commission table contained equal representation from the women of Europe.

Countless reports acknowledge that a gender balanced board makes for a better managed and governed organisation. And if there’s one organisation in all our 27 nations that could do with running a bit smoother, and getting on with the tasks at hand, it’s the EU.

The Labour government did very well earlier this year when it nominated Cathy Ashton, Britain’s first ever female commissioner and Europe’s first ever woman trade commissioner. It is a tribute to our party that Britain now has women leading for us both in the European commission and in the European parliament.

When European governments make their choices for their candidate for European commissioner each state will have their own domestic priorities and considerations. Working under the new Lisbon rules, and with huge challenges ahead, Europe needs more than ever to end the institutional wrangling, get on with the job ahead and ensure an equal representation of women.

The European institutions may deserve high marks for effort, but they are still a long way short on delivery.

The representation of women is inadequate, but the commissioners and the EU high officials are also invariably white. The fight for equality in the EU still has a very long way to go.

As we know, progress on these issues never comes about by accident. It is only thorough positive action to ensure balanced lists for elections that we achieve diversity in our parliaments.

It will only be through positive decisions made by European leaders that we will ensure that the European commission stands as a more inclusive body and is more representative of the citizens of the European Union – which it was founded to work for.

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