European Union postpones women quota on boards plan

EU commissioners have postponed plans to impose quotas for women on company boards.

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding was pushing for a vote on Tuesday to make it mandatory for companies to keep 40% of seats for women.

But the proposals will now not be debated until November.

The quota had already run into problems after EU lawyers said the proposed law might go too far and countries could not be forced to meet the target.

Several countries, including the UK, are opposed to Ms Reding’s plans.

“Gender balance directive postponed,” Ms Reding said on Twitter, external.

“I will not give up. [Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso] will put this on the Commission agenda again before the end of November.”

On Monday, the European Parliament criticised the lack of female candidates for the European Central Bank (ECB).

A parliamentary committee – in a resolution passed by 21 votes to 12, with 13 absentions – called on the European Council to withdraw the candidacy of Luxembourg’s Yves Mersch for the ECB executive board, saying his appointment would mean that the board would be all male up until 2018.