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BRUSSELS — Tomaž Vesel, Slovenia’s pick to be its European commissioner, withdrew his candidacy Friday in the wake of pressure from Ursula von der Leyen to provide female nominees.
European Commission President von der Leyen has increased pressure on certain countries to switch out their male candidates for women for gender-balance. Currently, out of the 26 total nominees, nine are women. (Each member country nominates one commissioner, with the exception of Germany as von der Leyen herself is their commissioner and she was approved by the European Parliament in July.).
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob accepted Vesel’s withdrawal on Friday the Prime Minister’s office said, according to the `Slovene Press Agency.
Von der Leyen’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The u-turn comes just three days after the Slovenian government stood by its man, refusing to nominate anyone else in his place. On Monday, Romania nominated MEP Roxana Mînzatu as its next European commissioner after the Aug. 31 deadline, after originally putting forward a man for the role.
In recent days, von der Leyen urged Malta to propose extending the mandate of its current EU commissioner, Helena Dalli, rather than nominee Glenn Micallef, two EU diplomats said. But the Maltese prime minister would not change his mind about sending Micallef, a third EU diplomat said.
So far, pressure has been applied only to countries that are not governed by von der Leyen’s center-right European People’s Party. The EPP is the most powerful force in the European Council and European Parliament, and will have the largest number of commissioners.
Several female names are now being touted for the Slovenian commissioner-designate, according to Slovenian media. They include senior EU civil servant Marjeta Jager, who works in the European Commission’s department for development policy; Marta Kos, a former diplomat affiliated to the party of Prime Minister Robert Golob; and Irena Joveva, an MEP from Golob’s party in the Renew Europe group.
Slovenia was among many countries that ignored von der Leyen’s summer request to submit two names — a man and a woman — to give her a choice as she builds her top team.
Von der Leyen said this week that her “first criteria” for her team members was competence, saying the Commission needs people who have either got high-ranking political or executive experience, or have been senior diplomats.
Vesel, a former top auditor, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Golob wrote in a letter to von der Leyen on August 12 that he was “confident” Vesel was the right person for the job.
This story has been updated.
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