EU Commissioner Pick Withdraws Amid Pressure for More Women

Slovenia's nominee for European Commissioner, Tomaž Vesel, withdrew amidst Ursula von der Leyen's push for gender parity. Slovenia initially backed Vesel but later withdrew, citing divergent views on the new Commission's functioning.

Only Bulgaria respected von der Leyen's request for female candidates. McKinsey's report shows gender-diverse leadership teams outperform male-dominated ones.

The European Institute for Gender Equality highlights systemic biases keeping women out. President von der Leyen must hold member states accountable and demand female candidates to represent the EU population.