Dear President,
On Octobre 25, the Plenary of the European Parliament has, for the first time, rejected a nominee chosen by the Council of ministers for the ECB board, Mr Yves Mersch.
The Parliament, directly elected by the European Citizens, has expressed serious concerns on gender balance and, more broadly, on the lack of diversity this type of selection’s procedure is generating.
As stated in the resolution voted by the ECON committee on October 22, we ask you to look seriously for qualified women candidates for this position to rectify the gender balance and end image of the ECB as an all-male club until 2018.
We also ask for new procedures for the future, that could allow a more transparent, gender and diversity friendly selection of candidates, in all EU positions. The current bargaining behind closed doors must end.
The concerns raised by the EP are important enough to be discussed openly by the European Council. The choice of a written procedure, during a long weekend, is far from fair. It does not meet the requirement of a sincere cooperation between institutions enshrined in the treaties and contradicts the decision rightly taken in June by the European Council to improve democratic legitimacy and accountability at EU level.
This written procedure is even destroying mutual trust in a time where we should all unite our forces, in the common interest, in order to fight against the crisis, in implementing fully the banking union for example. How could we believe that the Council is really keen to improve accountability, if it ignores the votes of the plenary of the European Parliament? How could we work together in a good spirit if the Parliament is clearly circumvented ?
Beyond the ECB, it is the credibility of the process launched at the June European Council that is at stake. Before proposing treaty changes, one could at least implement the existing ones in a good spirit.
Yours faithfully,
Sven Giegold and Sylvie Goulard (MEPs)