Von der Leyen pressures EU countries to swap women in as commissioner picks

Experts and politicians who agree with von der Leyen’s request say her Commission could prove to be less collegial and, ultimately, less effective as a result of not having enough women around the table.

“Unfortunately, equality between women and men is still seen as optional, or as something disposable,” said Jéromine Andolfatto, policy and campaigns officer at the European Women’s Lobby.

In a sign that von der Leyen is pushing hard to get as close as possible to parity, Belgium on Monday said it would send a female commissioner while Romania agreed to switch out its proposed male commissioner for a female one.

Three diplomats who spoke to POLITICO said that von der Leyen was pressuring at least five smaller EU countries, including Slovenia and Malta, to consider replacing the male candidates they’ve put forward with female replacements. The diplomats, like others quoted in this story, were granted anonymity to speak freely about confidential deliberations between von der Leyen’s cabinet and their governments.

Von der Leyen has urged Malta to propose extending the mandate of its current EU commissioner, Helena Dalli, rather than sending Glenn Micallef, the man proposed by Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela, two EU diplomats said. But Abela would not change his mind about sending Micallef because “this would undermine his authority,” a third EU diplomat said.