It took us one week to get a gender-balanced Commission
When we launched the on-line campaign for a gender balanced Commission, there were only 4 female nominees to the European Commission. In just a week time, we got 5 more. Did we have an impact? I hope so. One thing is for sure, there was great enthusiasm with this campaign. None of us got paid to work on it. We all did it during our free time, simply trying to make the most out of our skills and networks. And it worked. 

I attended PdF09 and I will attend PdF10
This weekend, I had a fantastic time at the Personal Democracy Forum in Barcelona, the conference where technology passionates and politics addicts meet. I have to admit I didn’t learn much during the workshops but on the other hand, that might be because I already know much, which is a good sign. Some presentations inspired me though. But that’s not what matters the most anyway. At PdF EU -just as any conference- the most impotant is the people you meet. And I met lots of fascinating people, some of which I will collaborate with on common projects: the staff of the Norwegian Labour party, the PES acti

Quote of the Week: Glenis Willmott
“I would say to Catherine Ashton: Cathy, you are not there to stop the traffic. You are actually there to create the traffic system. And I know that you’ll do a fantastic job.” Glenis Willmott, British Labour MEP, Question to Commission President

Ashton as High Representative: no, being a woman does not imply incompetency
The nomination of Catherine Catherine Ashton as EU High Representative for foreign policy came as a surprise to many. I hear here and there what you always hear when a woman gets a high-level position, no matter how competent she might be or not: “Ashton has been nominated only because she is a woman. She doesn’t have what it takes for the job”. I think both accusations are wrong. Lady Catherine Ashton was not selected only because she is a woman. In a blogpost on Le Taurillon, Fabien Cazenave says Ashton was elected because first she’s a woman, a

And now, introducing… the all women’s European Commission!
Let’s have a dream. Let’s dream of a fully female European Commission… Impossible, you may think? Try and think again. It’s actually so easy to do that just four random citizens came up with a list of at least one woman per country, in just 36 hours. Governments can’t be bothered to find female candidates, civil society decided to do it for them.