Is the European Commission meeting its own diversity targets?

Despite the European Commission policy to continue the European commitment to equality by making its staff more diverse, the incoming College of Commissioners it lacks not only gender balancebut also of ethnic diversity.

The Commission set the goal of “leading by example” in its 2023-2024 Action Plan on Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace. “In its new HR strategy, it aims to improve diversity among its staff to better reflect the diversity of the European population,” says the EU executive plan.

However, of the 27 proposed candidates for the European Commission by their national governments – which face confirmation hearings before taking office later this year – only one belongs to an ethnic minority: Hadja Labib, born in Belgium to Algerian parents.

In fact, She is the first Commissioner-designate who is not from the EUbut not the first to represent a minority. In the Commission directed by José Manuel BarrosoRomania appointed Leonard Orban following the country’s accession to the EU in 2007. Orban, who was Commissioner responsible for Multilingualism in the period 2007-2010, was born to an ethnic Hungarian father and a Romanian mother. The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) told ‘Euronews’ that it welcomes Labib’s appointment.

“(But) representation alone is not enough. We urge the Commission to redouble its efforts, in particular putting in place stronger participation mechanisms for racialized communitiesensuring their input is central to policy-making, and addressing the democratic deficit while adhering to equality and anti-racist principles,” a spokesperson said.

Survey and statistics

Among the objectives of the Commission’s Action Plan is “better attract, support and include ethnic minority staff so that our own workforce better reflects the societies we serve.

ENAR figures suggest that racial and ethnic minorities represent at least 10% of the European Union’s population.

In 2021, the Commission carried out a survey -in which the employees with disabilities, from the LGBTIQ community and representatives of different religions– to better understand the perception of diversity and inclusion among its institutional staff, executive agencies and the European External Action Service.

About 7.3% of the 10,000 participants (730) who responded to the survey said they belonged to an ethnic minority. The questionnaire showed that 70% of respondents felt valued and respected; 80% would recommend their company as an employer of choice in terms of diversity and inclusion. But disabled respondents and those from ethnic minorities tended to be less satisfied than average.

“To move beyond superficial diversity, we need systemic change that addresses underrepresentation and ensure that the voices of racialized communities are not only heard, but also have a seat at the table decision-making process,” stated ENAR.

‘Euronews’ reported last month that diversity among members of the European Parliament is low. Some 37 of the 720 newly elected MEPs have a diverse background, this is around the same number as in 2019, when the previous EU elections were held.

In one carta sent to incoming Commissionmore than 130 civil society organizations – including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – They called for equality and non-discrimination will be included as central priorities in your work for the next five years. They called for the appointment of a Commissioner for Equality and Fundamental Rights, with the aim of ensuring that the next term has the power to renew the Union for Equality agenda.

Gender, the great debate on the table

Another pressing issue among the commissioners is gender balance. The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has asked national governments for a selection of male and female candidates for your new executive.

Women only represent nine of the 27 senior officials currently proposed for the EU executive in Brusselsexcluding Bulgaria, which proposed both a female and a male candidate, as requested. This figure could change if Parliament rejects candidates.

One of the political priorities of the Commission’s mandate (2019-2024) is to achieve gender parity at all levels of management. By mid-2024, the proportion of women in management roles will have risen by almost 10 percentage points in total: to 48.8%.

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According to the EU executive, this places the Commission among the few public administrations in the world with the highest proportion of women in management positions.