Being a woman is not a “special interest” it is representing slightly more than 50 per cent of EUs population. Yes, I wish we will one day live in a society where gender does not matter. But the society we live in today, where women in all EU countries earn substanitally less then men, have less powerful positions and are victims of violence and abuse beacuse of their gender, it is still highly relevant to make sure that this half of the population is fairly represented.

Furthermore, alot of reserach shows how a gender imbalance affects the culture within an organisation. here is one example if you are interested. Having an all male leadership of the EU is harmful for gender equality, not foremost in a direct way on which decision will be taken by these people, but on the whole culture in the EU-insitutions and probably beyond.

I think one of the reasons men are over-represented in the EU and the national political scences is that far too many poitions are apointed in underhand negotiations in parties that often resembles men clubs. Therefor campaigning for a more democratically accountable EU-president is also benefitial for the representation of women.And campaigning for women representation in the leadership is benefitial for the democratic accountability.

On the other hand I would understand why one should campaign for Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is an excellent layer and a distinguished politician, expert in European integration. She has argued many landmark cases before the European Court for Human Rights and the European Court of Justice.

She is a Charismatic, Competent and a Committed European…

…oh yes, and she is a woman as well.

No need to roast two beef portions over a single fire if one portion is already cooked.

Anyway given the problem and the fact that here we are trying to help solving it as better as possible on a EU level, I think the better solution would be (for this round) a man for the double Presidency and a woman as an high representative, this is not because I think that there isn’t any woman able to be both President of the Council and of the Commission but because I think it would be very difficult to campaign at the same time for the introduction of this double Presidency and for making a woman been on that seat as the first step.

I think it’s better to focus on the main aim of our campaign, the double presidency without “mettere troppa carne al fuoco” (literally “putting to much beef on the fire” ), and collaterally we can campaign for a woman as foreign minister, ooops, high representative…

When the double hat presidency will be actual, then we can start campaigning for having a woman as President.

The more ’special interests’ there are to cater for, the more difficult it is going to be to keep the number of top jobs down, and I thought you were going for two instead of three.

As far as I remember the Protocols mention only geographical diversity and country size (not even political criteria).

Personally, I would prefer a double-hatted president of the Commission and the European Council taking into account the EP election results, and a qualified high representative/vice-president.

Excellent if one of them is a woman, but I would like to refer to ‘objective’ criteria I have brought to the fore in earlier blog discussions.