Open Letter to President Ursula von der Leyen
A Call for Gender Equality in the College of Commissioners
[Brussels, 27 August 2024]
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL), the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations across Europe, wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to extend our warmest support to her commitment to women’s rights and gender equality.
We have closely followed President von der Leyen’s leadership in promoting a balanced representation of women and men in decision-making bodies, particularly within the European Commission. In our Open letter sent today, we urge the President to persist in this vision, ensuring that each Member State submits both a woman and man nominee for the position of EU Commissioner.
We ask that President von der Leyen addresses the Member States’ decisions to disregard her request to submit both a female and a male candidate for Commissioner nominations, with which many EU leaders failed to demonstrate their commitment to equality between women and men, a cornerstone of democracy and social justice. We understand the challenges in navigating the complex political landscape of the European Union, where national interests and priorities often collide. However, we believe that by insisting that each Member State puts forward both male and female candidates for Commissioner positions, not only will the EU’s commitment to equality between women and men be enforced, but it will also encourage Member States to reflect this commitment in their national governments.
This approach would send a powerful message: that equality between women and men is non-negotiable and that the EU will lead by example.
We urge President von der Leyen to stand firm in your convictions and continue championing the cause of equality between women and men within the European Commission.
The European Women’s Lobby stands ready to support this cause and we are confident that under the current leadership, the European Union will continue to be a global leader in the fight for equality between women and men.
Read the whole letter to President von der Leyen here.
