Friday, August 30, 2024

U.S. and UK Are Sidelining Fleet Auxiliary Ships Because of Crew Shortages

Expeditionary Fast Transport USNS Fall River in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, 2017. The 10-year-old vessel has been placed in reduced operating status (USN)

Both the Royal Navy's Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command are sidelining some of their ships because of crew shortages, according to new reports. Both organizations have had serious recruitment and retention issues for years, and the decision to stack tonnage has been long in coming.

Not enough mariners, not enough leave

Military Sealift Command is the civilian-crewed auxiliary force for the U.S. Navy, and its vessels keep the rest of the fleet running. MSC dry stores ships and fleet oilers provide ammunition and fuel to keep surface combatants in the fight, and an array of special-purpose auxiliaries - submarine trackers, surveillance ships, salvage tugs and other specialized vessels - serve non-combat needs that would be expensive to fulfill otherwise.

Among U.S. merchant mariners, MSC is known for good pay and long contracts. Because of a persistent personnel shortage, a four-month scheduled hitch can turn into eight months or more while the mariner awaits the assignment of his or her relief. Due to the Pentagon's vacation accrual policies, the limited leave that is available may be partly unpaid.

These conditions have been common knowledge for decades, but in a tight market, skilled mariners have many options in commercial maritime and may select a private employer with a more family-oriented rotation schedule. According to USNI, MSC's roster has thinned, and it now has about 1.3 mariners for every seagoing billet - too few to provide consistent rotations for the 4,500 crewmembers who are on board at any given time.

To improve this ratio, MSC is seeking approval for a plan to sideline all 12 of its actively serving expeditionary fast transports (EPFs), along with two civilian-crewed sea base ships, two Lewis & Clark-class dry cargo replenishment ships and one fleet oiler, according to USNI. By cutting as many as 700 seagoing billets, MSC could boost its mariner-to-billet ratio from 1.3 to 1.5 and improve quality of life for its seagoing personnel.

Some of the sidelined vessels are among MSC's newest and best-known ships. The expeditionary fast transports are high-speed intratheater fast ferries, built in aluminum for light weight and fitted with a ramp for vehicle loading. They have a capacity of 600 tonnes, a top speed of up to 45 knots and a 26-member civilian crew, and are commonly used for goodwill port calls and relief missions.

As seen previously in the slimming-down of the Littoral Combat Ship series, the EPFs will be exiting active duty service decades ahead of schedule. The oldest active vessel in the EPF series is just over 10 years old, and the newest has been in service for less than 10 months. Three older hulls in the series - USNS Spearhead, Choctaw County and Fall River - have already been warm-stacked.

The Navy has another five EPFs on order with an upgraded and enlarged "medical ship" design, and will continue to take new deliveries of the class for years to come.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary sidelines multiple vessels

On the other side of the Atlantic, America's closest European ally is having similar staffing issues for its naval auxiliaries, though for a different reason. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary's payscale has not kept up with inflation for years, and RFA officers calculate that they have accumulated a 30 percent cut in purchasing power since 2010, while their peers in commercial maritime have seen regular raises.

The auxiliary's union has called time on long-stalled pay negotiations, and it launched an unprecedented fleetwide strike action on August 15. It is set to go out on strike again on September 3, the UK's Merchant Navy Day.

The effects can seen in the RFA's shrinking headcount, according to Navy Lookout. Recruitment is not keeping pace with retirements and departures, and the RFA hasn't been able to deploy several ships because it lacks the personnel to fully crew them. RFA Tiderace, a fleet oiler that entered service just six years ago, is cold-stacked at Cammell Laird because of a crewing shortage. Crew generation and workup for the other remaining vessels in the series, RFA Tideforce and Tidespring, has also reportedly been delayed. And the newly-acquired mine countermeasures vessel RFA Stirling Castle has been sidelined by a combination of crew shortages and maintenance issues.

"Although a more rewarding career than most jobs in the merchant fleet, RFA remuneration is way below what sailors can earn in the commercial shipping sector. If the total collapse of the Royal Navy's critical logistic enabler is to be avoided, then pay probably needs to be increased by around 30% to be competitive," Navy Lookout warned.

American Adventurer Dies in Reenactment of Viking Voyage

Capsized rowboat — Courtesy Norwegian Coast Guard

On Wednesday, an American national was killed and five survivors were rescued after a Viking ship replica sank in foul weather off the coast of Norway.

The crew - an international team of adventurers - were attempting to recreate a Viking voyage using period-appropriate technology. They had set off in a 30-foot wooden skiff powered by oars and sails, bound from the Faroe Islands to Alesund, Norway. Their vessel, dubbed Naddoddur, was named for historical Norwegian explorer Naddodd, the discoverer of Iceland. The boat had a successful history of navigation in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea on past expeditions.

In pre-voyage blog posts, the organizers noted that they were aware that conditions wouldn't be "particularly calm," and they conducted safety trainings in advance for capsizings and other potential emergencies. Some of the crewmembers were experienced in ocean crossings, including Livar Nysted, a world-record-holding ocean rower from the Faroe Islands.

Courtesy Sail2North

On Tuesday, when they were about 60 miles off the port of Stad on Norway's west coast, they encountered rough conditions with waves of up to 15 feet. The crew sent a mayday at about 1800 hours Tuesday evening, according to Norwegian authorities, and a helicopter was dispatched to the scene. The aircrew found that the boat was not in distress and had issued a false alarm, according to Norwegian media.

One hour later, the boat capsized, sending all six people over the side. A large-scale search with helicopters and surface assets ensued, aided by good Samaritan vessels. Conditions were difficult, with low visibility, high waves, winds of up to 40 knots and intermittent heavy rain.

Five were rescued, but one remained missing, and the search continued into the night. The Norwegian Coast Guard vessel KV Bergen discovered the remains of a female passenger hours later.

Officials withheld the name of the deceased, but the expedition organizers have confirmed that the victim was U.S. resident Karla Dana, 29. The five survivors have been identified as skipper Andy Fitze, Livar Nysted, Saeny Blaser, Georg Aebi and Martin Fitze; all were in good health and uninjured.

WAR IS ECOCIDE

Houthis Release Propaganda Video Showing Multiple Attacks on Sounion

tanker fire — Screen shot from Houthi propaganda video

The militant Houthis continue to use the burning oil tanker Sounion for their propaganda while emphasizing their determination to stop all shipping associated with Israel. Today, the group is circulating a second video which appears to be a compilation of several efforts staged with the tanker and filmed for the propaganda effects.

Pictures appear to show fires already burning on the vessel but little other damage when the Houthis filmed themselves on the deck of Sounion and setting more charges. The French and EUNAVFOR both assert when the vessel was abandoned by the crew there were no visible fires. The early Houthi images show a few fires at the tanks as they set more explosives for dramatic effects.

Images also capture at least two holes in the starboard hull well above the waterline. Those are likely from the multiple attacks and caused the damage to the engine room which left the vessel disabled.

Today, EUNAVFOR Aspides again issued an update stating the vessel continues to burn but that it is anchored. The EU is believed to be supporting the planned salvage efforts while their public declaration was that the vessel’s owners were responsible for the salvage.

Greece’s Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis issued a statement saying that various countries and Greece are participating in a significant diplomatic effort to prevent a potential environmental disaster. He said he had spoken with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia to “ensure the safest possible management of this issue.”

Multiple reports are saying that tugs appear to be standing by in the area while the arrangements are made. As happened with the attempted salvage of one of the bulkers attacked earlier in the year, the United States needs to grant a waiver because the tugs are sanctioned due to their activities supporting Iran.

The plan calls for the Sounion to be towed to a safe port while the oil will be transferred to another tanker, according to a report from Bloomberg. Further, they are saying that Greek, French, and Italian warships operating as part of EUNAVFOR Aspides will escort the Sounion during the salvage operation and the Saudis will likely oversee the oil transfer.

The leader of the Houthi movement also released a video statement saying his forces had stormed the Sounion. He said they destroyed the cargo as retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza. Aspides continues to assert the tanker is not leaking while others in the region say there could be minor leaks while a major catastrophe has so far been avoided.

Korean Shipyard Workers Stage First Coordinated Warning Strike

In a first for the South Korean shipbuilding industry, union members staged their first coordinated work stoppage today, August 28, to place additional pressure on the industry during ongoing contract negotiations. The brief actions were due to stop work Wednesday afternoon for between three and five hours and were reaching not only the three major shipbuilders but also the yards of several midsized builders.

The unions representing the individual yards formed the Shipbuilding Industry Union Solidarity (KTCU) to coordinate the 2024 contract negotiations. Many of them are affiliates of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, one of the largest in the country.

KMU officials said there have been five rounds of negotiations without an acceptable proposal from the shipbuilders. They are demanding increases in basic salaries, a wage peak system, changes to the bonus system, and raising the retirement age from 60 to 65. Critically, they are also demanding more new hires to address the current shortage of workers and difficult working conditions.

The strike comes they point out as the industry has been averaging a utilization rate in 2024 of over 105 percent, the highest in the last five years. The shipbuilders returned to profitability in 2023 and have multi-year backlogs. Reports put the current value of the orderbook for the three largest builders at over $140 billion, with calls from the union to share the profits with members.

Union leaders served notice of the plan to stage the first warning strike during the negotiations in July. Today they reported that the effort was expanded at the largest HD Hyundai Heavy Industries yard in Ulsan to include all workers versus an original plan of just union leaders. Work also stopped at the HD Hyundai Samho yard and Hanwha Ocean. HD Hyundai Mipo members had not yet obtained authorization to strike so only the strike committee participated at the yard while at Samsung Heavy Industry the union set up tent protests.

Similar actions were planned for the midsized builders. Members at both HSG Seongdong Shipbuilding and K Shipbuilding participated in the work stoppage. The efforts ranged from Ulsan to Geoje, Tongyeong, Yeongam, and Busan in a unified show of solidarity among the union branches.

Despite having conducted 20 negotiating sessions union leaders said they are committed to continuing the negotiations while demanding concessions from the companies. The union reports members will rally in Ulsan on September 4 and in Geoje on September 9. They said if there was no progress before the Chuseok holiday (September 16 to 18, 2024) they would launch a plan for a “stronger struggle” after the holiday.

The shipbuilders have cautioned that any extended work stoppages would risk this year’s scheduled ship deliveries. The union rejects the assertion by the shipbuilders that the actions are potentially harmful to the industry’s reputation and could lower the competitiveness and international credibility of Korean shipbuilding.

An extended strike at the then Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering shipyard in 2022 contributed to the worsening financial condition of the company. Workers were off the job for 51 days and it participated the sale of the company to Hanwha in 2023.

Harris on pancakes -- and the call that changed US history

Savannah (United States) (AFP) – Kamala Harris was flipping pancakes and frying bacon with her family when the phone rang. It was President Joe Biden -- telling her he was ending his reelection bid and backing her to take his place.

Issued on: 30/08/2024 -

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Savannah, Georgia on August 29, 2024

"My family was staying with us, and including my baby nieces, and we had just had pancakes," Harris recalled Thursday in an interview with CNN about the July 21 afternoon when Biden suddenly turned the November presidential election on its head.

Harris and the children were chatting -- "Auntie, can I have more bacon?' 'Yes, I'll make you more bacon'" -- she said.

"And the phone rang, and it was Joe Biden."

Biden had been under growing pressure for weeks to drop out amid fears that at 81 and visibly frail, he was going to lose the race and allow Donald Trump easily to win a second term.

Biden announced his shock decision in writing to the nation and soon after endorsed Harris, who has since surged in popularity, reinvigorating her downbeat Democratic Party.

"He told me what he had decided to do. And I asked him, 'Are you sure?' And he said, 'Yes.' And that's how I learned about it," she said.

Harris defended Biden, saying his presidency would be appreciated more in hindsight. "I think history is going to show... in so many ways it was transformative."

© 2024 AFP

'Quite punitive': Harris donors reportedly balk at plan to hike taxes on wealthy Americans

Daniel Hampton
August 29, 2024

Some former U.S. Capitol Police officers have offered vocal support for Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential campaign. (Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Donors of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris are reportedly pushing her to give up her support of a plan that would tax wealthy Americans and increase federal revenue by $5 trillion over 10 years

Last week, the vice president quietly unveiled her proposal to increase taxes. Notably, no one earning less than $400,000 would see their taxes increase, according to The New York Times.

President Joe Biden proposed — and Harris supported — a plan that would tax investment gains on Americans worth $100 million or more if they haven't sold the stocks, bonds or other assets that have appreciated. Those ultra-wealthy would see a 25 percent tax on a combination of income and unrealized gains, according to the Times.

The plan would raise the top marginal income tax rate from 37 percent to 39.6 percent, while also increasing Medicare surtax rates from 3.8 percent to 5 percent for wealthy Americans. Gains on investments would be taxed at the same rate as regular income for people earning at least $1 million a year.

That proposal "hit a nerve" with some donors, according to the Times, which cited seven people familiar with the conversations. Those donors have passed their grievances up the chain to campaign advisers and key business allies. One reportedly brought up the issue to Harris in a private conversation, and pressed her to tweak the plan to instead tax the ultra-rich who borrow against their wealth.

A spokesman for the campaign told the Times that she believes the mega-wealthy should pay a minimum tax rate "because it’s not right that they pay a lower income tax rate than a teacher or firefighter." But at least one donor told the newspaper he and other leaders in Silicon Valley feel the plan is "quite punitive."

“There’s optimism that this can’t possibly be real,” tech CEO Aaron Levie said. He asked, "Is this a real proposal that is actually being pushed for — or was this something that was inherited from Biden?”

The pushback from wealthy donors comes as progressive advocates support the tax hike proposals.

"The superrich don't make their money the way most people do. Their money comes from owning businesses, property, financial assets, and inheritances," economist Michael Linden explained in a Wednesday social media post. "These types of income all enjoy special tax advantages, and that's why they end up paying less than middle-income Americans."

Africa's nuclear dreams a fusion of high hopes and high hurdles

Africa’s nuclear energy ambitions face significant challenges as experts question whether the continent’s infrastructure can support such a leap. Industry leaders from the US and Africa's nuclear energy sector are meeting in Nairobi this week to discuss how to move forward.

Issued on: 29/08/2024

The Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, on the outskirts of Cape Town,

in South Africa, on 6 February 2024.

AFP - RODGER BOSCH

By: Melissa Chemam

The four-day conference aims to address the obstacles hindering the adoption of nuclear energy on the continent.

While South Africa remains the only African nation with nuclear power plants, Kenya and Rwanda are eager to follow.

This summit is the second major convention on the issue, following a similar event in Accra, Ghana, in October-November 2023. That event was organised by the US Department of Energy in collaboration with the Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission.

Feasibility in question

Experts are questioning the feasibility of building nuclear power plants in Africa.

“There is a lot of talk about nuclear programmes in Africa, but these ideas are closer to fantasy than industrial reality,” said Mycle Schneider, project coordinator at the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR).

The first major obstacle, he told RFI, is the size of grids.

The International Atomic Energy Agency states that an average large nuclear reactor is around 1,000 megawatts (MW) or one gigawatt (GW). However, only four African countries have a grid larger than 10,000MW or 10GW – Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Nigeria. Most other African nations have much smaller grids.

“Kenya’s grid is about 3.3GW, so the largest unit should be around 300MW, which is much less than a large nuclear reactor,” Schneider said.

“In Rwanda, the total national grid is 300MW. So we’re in a situation where an ordinary nuclear power plant would absolutely not have the grid size needed in most African countries.”

Schneider argues that African countries need decentralised energy production systems, a mix of renewable energy and power systems that can be built quickly, unlike nuclear power plants.

“The wonderful opportunity on a continent like Africa is that in many places everything has to be done from the beginning," he said.

"The fact that there are no grids or very small grids can be an opportunity to implement advanced, highly flexible grids designed for the future, with decentralised production of solar, wind or other energies, and biomass."

A US agenda

The US has sent top nuclear energy officials to the summit to offer Africans insights on nuclear technology. The US is also keen to strengthen its ties with Kenya through this summit and to support other African economies.

“By emphasising international cooperation, sharing innovative solutions and shaping policies, the summit aims to drive positive change and serve as a platform to strengthen existing relationships and forge new ones to enhance cooperation in the nuclear energy sector,” the Atlantic Council, a major participant, said in a statement.

Kenya is promoting the construction of a 1,000MW plant starting in 2027, which is expected to cost around 500 billion Kenyan shillings (about €3.5 billion).

The country hopes to raise investments during the summit to be able to complete it by 2032.

Kenya to build first nuclear power plant by 2034 amid local opposition

But for Schneider, nuclear energy is expensive, and demands time and highly skilled workers that very few countries have.

Therefore is also no economic, industrial or practical drivers to make the nuclear option viable in Africa.

"Russia and China are dominating the nuclear power sector and so it seems like this stems from US geopolitical interest to counter their role on the continent more than anything else," he said.

Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russia in 2016, but no progress has been made since then.

“The key term is feasibility – this debate is curious because building costly plants like nuclear reactors is challenging anywhere in the world, even in France, and in Africa, it’s simply not feasible,” Schneider said.

He also pointed out that investing in nuclear power exacerbates climate change.

“It’s not fast enough. Choosing a more expensive and slower option is misguided. The 2030s won’t even see a new plant in South Africa. If substantial resources are spent on technology that isn’t viable, how can Africa achieve energy efficiency?”

Despite these concerns, summit participants argue that nuclear power remains crucial for reaching net zero by 2050.

More than 2,000 children in France still sleeping rough: UNICEF

More than 2,000 children are forced to sleep outside each night in France, according to an annual survey whose authors blame poor housing policies for a situation that gets worse each year.

Issued on: 29/08/2024 -

A person in a tent set up at the Place de la Bastille square as part of a campaign to highlight homelessness during the Olympic Games in Paris, 6 august 2024. Housing advocates have found that over 2,000 children are sleeping rough in France each night

By:RFI

In their annual survey, Unicef France and the Federation of solidarity actors (FAS) on Thursday found that at least 2,043 children, including 467 under the age of 4 years old, spent the night outside on the night of 19 August of this year.

They were without a housing solution, even after their families called the 115 emergency housing number – a situation the associations say is “unacceptable” in a country like France.

A representative for the UN children’s agency, Adeline Hazan, said that the number of children sleeping rough is a “flagrant violation of the principles of the International convention on the rights of children”, which France has ratified.

“We are very, very worried to see that, far from getting better, the situation gets worse from year to year,” Hazan told the AFP news agency.

The number of children sleeping rough this year is up 3 percent compared to August 2023, 27 percent compared to 2022 and 120 percent from 2020.

And the survey most certainly undercounted the actual number, as it does not count those families who did not call the emergency housing number, those who live in squatter camps or unaccompanied minors.

“It is a tragedy when you know the disastrous consequences, from mental health to education,” Hazan said, days before the start of the 2024/2025 school year.

The associations say the situation is a result of housing policies that only look at short-term results, focus on getting rid of squatters and cut housing aid to the most vulnerable.

(with AFP)

Left-wing alliance calls for street protests after Macron rules out leftist PM

President Emmanuel Macron’s decision not to accept the left-wing New Popular Front’s candidate as prime minister has been met with anger and the promise of street protests.

Issued on: 27/08/2024

What's the problem?

NFP members Manuel Bompard (C), Lucie Castets (L) and Marine Tondelier (R) attended a first round of cross-party discussions at the Elysée, but say they won't be going back. © AFP - DIMITAR DILKOFF

By:RFI

For the last six weeks France has been run by a caretaker administration that cannot make any new policy.

By holding consultations with all the heads of France’s political parties, Macron hoped to break that political deadlock – the result of snap parliamentary elections in July that put the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) out in front, but failed to give any one party or coalition a working majority.

But after two days of talks, a statement issued Monday has caused further political chaos in France and prompted fury on the left.

In the announcement, Macron ruled out an NFP-led government, along with its pick for premier Lucie Castets, saying France needed institutional stability – which a left-wing government would not provide as it couldn't win a confidence vote in parliament.

“Such a government would immediately have a majority of more than 350 MPs against it, effectively preventing it from acting,” Macron said. “In view of the opinions expressed by the political leaders consulted, the institutional stability of our country means that this option should not be pursued.”

'Anti-democratic coup'

Macron called on the Socialists, Communists and Greens to “cooperate with other political parties” to try and find a PM who could command cross-party support.

The largest party in the alliance, the hard-left LFI, was not mentioned, in what appeared to be an attempt to split off more moderate members.

After the announcement, LFI’s national coordinator Manuel Bompard described Macron’s stance as an “unacceptable anti-democratic coup” while its president, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, accused Macron of creating an “exceptionally serious situation”.

“The popular and political response must be swift and firm,” Mélenchon said.

LFI has called for marches and protests to force the president to recognise the results of the election.

Paris politics heats up as left pushes for power and impeachment

Unified bloc

The NFP – a coalition of the LFI, Socialists, Communists and Greens – was formed to block the far-right’s accession to power.

It worked. NFP won 190 of the 577 seats in the lower chamber and Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance 160, with the far-right RN on 140.

While such a diverse alliance has struggled to speak with one voice, on Tuesday it did just that.

Socialist party boss Olivier Faure refused Macron’s invitation to new talks, saying he would “not be an accomplice to a parody of democracy”, accusing the president of seeking to “prolong Macronism” despite losing the legislative election.

“French people will start to get annoyed, to say the least,” Faure warned, vowing to join the call for a “big popular mobilisation” by Communist party leader Fabien Roussel.

Roussel told BFM TV that Macron was going to trigger a “serious crisis in our country”.

Marine Tondelier, secretary general of the Greens, said the left was being robbed of this election.

“Macron talks of stability but three-quarters of the French want change, they need it,” she wrote on a social media post, calling the president’s action “a disgrace” and “dangerous democratic irresponsibility”.

Macron urges mainstream coalition after election, angering leftist alliance

Castets, the relatively unknown senior civil servant and economist proposed by NFP as premier, also hit out at Macron.

“Democracy means nothing to the president,” she said in an interview with France Inter public radio on Tuesday.

“We are faced with a president who wants to be president of the Republic, prime minister and party leader at the same time... He cannot compose the government of his dreams.”

Castets also highlighted the crucial role LFI had played in blocking the far right. In the snap polls, 38 LFI candidates pulled out of three-way races after the first round on 30 June, allowing 35 MPs from Macron's Ensemble coalition to win seats.
Blocking the left

NFP accuses Macron of denying democracy in the name of preserving his pro-business agenda.

The left-wing alliance's programme includes scrapping his contested pension reform and putting the retirement age back to 60; raising the minimum wage and public sector pay; linking salaries to inflation; cutting income tax and social security for lower earners; and freezing the prices of essentials such as food and fuel.

While a new wealth tax and other fiscal reforms would offset the extra expense, Macron's Renaissance party insists it will not put up income tax. On the contrary, it has promised to reign in France's large public deficit in line with EU norms.

While those two very different visions of France's future battle it out, the clock is ticking.

France’s budget, a draft version of which was prepared by outgoing PM Gabriel Attal, has to be presented before the National Assembly by 1 October at the latest.

Macron opens the Paralympic Games on Wednesday as the world watches, and then leaves for a two-day visit to Serbia on Thursday.

Push for gender equality stalls as men dominate nominations for EU commission

Hopes that the next European Commission would be equally made up of women and men are floundering after member states put forward an overwhelmingly male list of candidates – defying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen's instructions to submit balanced picks.

Issued on: 30/08/2024 -

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, attends a meeting in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, on 16 June 2024.

By: RFI

With Friday's deadline approaching for European Union members to offer nominees for von der Leyen's 26-person team, 16 of the 21 names known so far are men.

After her re-election in July, the European Commission president had asked states specifically to give her a choice of one male and one female candidate.

Not a single country has done so. As it stands, as few as six women may hold posts in the next EU executive, including von der Leyen herself and the nominee for foreign policy chief, Estonia's outgoing prime minister Kaja Kallas.

The European Women's Lobby, an umbrella group working toward gender equality in the bloc, said the situation was indicative of an "old boys' club" mindset, calling it "beyond embarrassing"

"If member states truly believe only men are fit for these roles or that there are no qualified women in their countries, they're not just out of touch – they're delusional," the group's spokesperson Mirta Baselovic told French news agency AFP.

Equality ambitions

Lina Galvez, chair of the European Parliament's committee on gender equality, said the numbers suggested a clear lack of "political will" from member states that sent a "very bad signal, especially to younger women and girls".

At the root of the situation is a power play between von der Leyen and European capitals that may well back goals like gender parity on paper, but in practice resist having their hands tied in any way.EU adopts laws to ensure more women are appointed to company boards

Von der Leyen made gender equality a priority of her first term, and between them she, Kallas and European Parliament president Roberta Metsola clinched an unprecedented three of four top EU jobs following the bloc's latest parliamentary elections.

But short of a radical shake-up, her ambition for a gender-balanced commission – which steers EU policy on issues of trade to climate and migration – already looks dead in the water.

Standoff looms

Von der Leyen now faces a choice, according to EU law professor Alberto Alemanno: accept the list and put the nominations to parliamentary hearings planned for September and October, or send states back to the drawing board.

Members of the European Parliament won't pull any punches, Alemanno told AFP: "There's a risk that instead of voting down four or five commissioners, they might vote against half of them."

If von der Leyen instead puts her foot down, "she avoids finding herself in a position of weakness," he said. "And it's a chance to assert her independence."

The commission president has the authority to make a stand, according to Alemanno. "The question is more a political one – whether she will choose to exercise that prerogative."

Alternatively, von der Leyen could turn down some of the male candidates presented to her one by one, using the promise of choice portfolios as leverage with individual member states.

'Bare minimum'

The European Women's Lobby said it was counting on the commission chief to "stand firm", calling it her "prerogative and responsibility to ensure that the EU leadership reflects the diversity of its population".

"This isn't a radical ask – it's the bare minimum," spokesperson Baselovic said. Gender gap at work far wider than expected, UN says

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the European Commission insisted that Von der Leyen "stands by her conviction that in the modern world, we need to have as many women as possible in positions of responsibility".

"She is doing everything in her power in order to ensure that we have a well-balanced college with people who are competent for the role of commissioner, and a college that will include as many women as possible," chief spokesman Eric Mamer told reporters earlier this week.

(with AFP)

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment