[Brussels, 17 August 2011] The number of women EU ambassadors has risen to 31 following the appointment of 8 new female heads of delegation by EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton (out of a total of 25 nominations). This compares with only 10 women in such posts when the Lisbon treaty entered into force in 2009.
The appointments bring the percentage of women in the highest diplomatic positions in EU overseas delegations to 22%.
According to Ms. Ashton: “The number of women in this group of appointments is up on last year, but still not good enough.”
Ashton went on, “I renew my call for good women candidates to put themselves forward for jobs in the service.”
A number of selection procedures are still ongoing, and the EWL trusts that Ms. Ashton will continue to make the increased representation of women in these positions a top priority, in line with the Treaty and democratic obligations of the EU.
More information on the appointments at TheParliament.com: http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/ashton-appoints-25-new-heads-of-eu-overseas-delegations/
