NewsLab

On the eve of International women’s Day, Commission Vice President Margot Wallstroem discloses that only men have been put forward for top positions in the European Union.

“Not a single woman’s name has been mentioned. What we hear is that a discussion took place somewhere and it was only men’s names that were mentioned,” she said in an interview with a leading Swedish daily.

Wallstroem said the recruiting process boiled down to men-only negotiations where women were excluded. She said there should be at least one woman candidate for one of the top EU positions.

The Lisbon Treaty calls for the creation of a new EU president and foreign minister. All four names currently making the rounds are men. Those seen as possible contenders for the job of president are former British prime minister Tony Blair, the chairman of the Eurogroup of finance ministers Jean-Claude Juncker, and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has been cited as a possible candidate for the foreign minister post.

Wallstroem said there was no shortage of capable women in Europe, mentioning German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Italy’s European Affairs Minister Emma Bonino.

(Source Reuters).