The next European Commission is expected to have at least 10 women, the president of the institution, Ursula von der Leyen, said today at a press conference in Brussels. "The number of women reached double digits," she said, quoted by BTA.
Von der Leyen added that at the beginning of the process of selecting European commissioners, there was a possibility that there would be only four women in the new team. The President of the EC expressed his understanding that it is not always easy to find sufficiently prepared candidates.
"European Commissioners must be competent - this is the most important requirement," Von der Leyen said. According to her, it is necessary for the candidates to have been prime ministers, ministers, deputy ministers, high-ranking diplomats or senior officials of the EU institutions.
"Half of the citizens of the EU are women, therefore we aim to achieve gender equality in the new commission, where equality is ensured by geographical principle and by political affiliation," added the chairman of the EC. Von der Leyen specified that she has not yet spoken to all those proposed for European commissioners.
In a week, the President of the EC is expected to present the proposal for the structure and composition of the new commission in a closed meeting with the leadership of the European Parliament. In October, it is planned that the proposed European commissioners will pass an exam before the EP, after which the composition of the commission will be voted by the MEPs. The new composition of the commission is expected to start work by December.