Next Mandy should be a woman, says Conservative MEP
Posted, March 10, 2008 @ 00:00
Britain’s next EU Commissioner should be a woman, says European Parliament's Vice-President
After media reports that Peter Mandelson may be nominated again as an EU Commissioner for a further five years from 2009, despite his declaration that he was standing down after Tony Blair left the premiership, Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, Britain’s most senior MEP, said:
“Peter Mandelson decided he would walk before he was pushed. It is now being reported that he and Gordon Brown have had 'warm' discussions about him staying on in his current role as EU Commissioner for Trade (FT Mar 10)."
“I believe Britain’s next EU Commissioner should be a woman. All British parties are keen to promote women in politics and it is high time that Britain nominated its first female commissioner”.
After David Cameron’s pledge (BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, Monday 10 March) that there would be 55 Conservative women MPs in the next House of Commons, MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, a member of the Conservative Party Candidates Committee said:
"In the 34 years Britain has been in the EU no party leader has named a woman as EU Commissioner. Other countries promote women; there are currently 9 women EU Commissioners out a total of 27. This is a feeble UK record."
McMillan-Scott, Conservative Vice-President of the European Parliament, will be speaking about women in politics alongside Conservative Party chairman Caroline Spelman at the party’s Spring Conference on March 14 in Gateshead.*
He said in Strasbourg today: “Europe, which used to lead in women’s representation, is now slipping down the league table. Thirty per cent of the European Parliament is female but so far none of the European Commission's 11 presidents has been a woman and only two of the 26 Presidents of the European Parliament have been female”.