The European Parliament approved a trio of men for top economy and banking jobs today after issuing a call for more women in future nominations.
The lawmakers in Strasbourg adopted a resolution calling for an action plan to achieve gender balance in high-level positions at EU bodies. They then voted to clear the way for the formal appointments.
The posts include Philip Lane for European Central Bank (ECB) chief economist. He’ll join the executive board once rubber-stamped by EU government leaders.
José Manuel Campa, Banco Santander’s head of regulatory affairs, is ticketed to become chairman of the European Banking Authority (EBA).
Sebastiano Laviola, Italy’s financial attaché in Brussels, has been picked for the Single Resolution Board (SRB), the agency for handling bank failures and preventative measures in the eurozone.
German Green Sven Giegold had proposed postponing the votes due to a lack of women among the nominations. “How long shall European women wait for a European Parliament which ensures their equal opportunities, rather than waving down one appointment after the other?” he said from the floor.
“Postponing the vote in my view is the wrong answer to the right issue,” Italian Social Democrat Roberto Gualtieri replied. The lawmakers voted down Giegold’s motion and backed the appointments.