UK rallies support to block ‘female quotas’

Nine countries have signed a letter sent to Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission’s President, stating their opposition to the proposal. Whilst the letter agreed with the Commission’s stance, it said that any targeted measures in this area should be devised and implemented at national level and therefore did not support the adoption of legally binding provisions at European level for women on company boards. The majority of Commissioners are now opposed to the proposal and a vote on the issue has been postponed.

There are now 17.3% women directors on the boards of FTSE 100 companies, up from 12.5% in 2010, and European Parliament spokesperson on women’s rights and London MEP Marina Yannakoudakis, said: “This shows that member states are tired of Brussels interfering in employment law and trussing up their businesses in red tape making them less competitive.

“It would save a lot of time and money if the Commission were to drop its proposals now and I hope that Barroso will listen to the member states.”