Romania changes its candidate to the European Commission with its eyes on the Economy portfolio

The Romanian MEP Roxana Manzatu has become her country’s new candidate for the position of European commissioner after a political turn. Bucharest finally decided to present a woman and reject the previous candidate, Victor Negrescu.

This change of course is a gesture addressed to the president of the CommissionUrsula von der Leyen, who has made it clear that she wants parity within her next Executive. In fact, asked each member country to nominate both a man and a woman.

Romania wants an economic portfolio and the Government believes that the former minister in charge of European Funds and Secretary of State for Public Procurement is the ideal candidate for her abilities and to achieve gender balance.

Without talking about her future portfolio, the Romanian candidate wants to follow in the president’s footsteps of the Commission. “Europe must do something, it must reindustrialize. President (Ursula) von der Leyen has set ambitious goals in this direction with the clean and green reindustrialization of Europe,” she explains.

Only a third of countries have obeyed his request

Only a third of European capitals have nominated women (such as SpainBelgium and Bulgaria). Most member countries, for internal political reasons, They left aside Ursula von der Leyen’s request to promote parity within the Commission.

Roxana Mînzatu believes that this trend is in line with the rise of the far right throughout the continent. This “shows that we thought we had made progress and that this can be reversed. It is probably also a sign of the atmosphere and spirit of the societies in which, as I said, politicians don’t try hard enough to put this issue on the agenda,” says the Romanian candidate.

“I have explained many times that the lack of women in positions of public authority It is directly linked, in my opinion, to gender violence.because it is a mentality and a prejudice that exists, that women are vulnerable, that they are victims, and this is reinforced by the fact that positions of authority are almost always occupied by men,” she adds.

Ursula von der Leyen is expected to present her new College of Commissioners September 11. Each candidate will have to undergo a hearing before the European Parliament in the coming weeks before a final vote on the entire team.