SOCIAL POLICY COUNCIL : COMPANY BOARDS: MINISTERS STILL DIVIDED OVER GENDER BALANCE.

• Position: Brief article

The member states do not seem to find a way out of the deadlock over the issue of gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges, as practically no progress has been made since June 2013. During the Social Policy Council meeting, on 9 December, the ministers took note of a progress report, stating "there is a clear consensus on the need to improve gender balance in economic decision making, but the member states do not share views on the way to achieve this target".

In the wake of a massive endorsement at first reading by the European Parliament's plenary, on 20 November 2013, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding urged the member states to follow suit. "Parliament's position, which suggests very moderate changes to the Commission's proposal, should be an encouragement for the Council to strive for a workable compromise solution," Reding said.

Ten member states, including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech...