THE WEEK THAT WAS ... (Jan. 28, 2013)

No Cameron speech, no Davos; you read enough about it I suppose. Something very different, not a really big deal, but something that shows quite clearly how the European Commission organises his ‘propaganda’. Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding (Luxembourg) presented last week figures about an increase of women in top company boardrooms and crowed: "The proof is in the pudding: regulatory gets the ball rolling." She poured scorn on a claim that her actions were responsible for an increase from 13.7% to 15.8% in the 12 months to January 2012. Ms Reding claimed the improvement was down to a proposal which the European Commission adopted on 14 November 2012 recommending a voluntary 40% objective for women on boards.

In a reaction an alert British MEP, Ms Yannakoudakis, pointed out that in fact Commissioner Reding had to accept the voluntary-quota proposal last year only after it became clear she did not have sufficient support in the commission for full-blown legislation to compel companies to create more female directors voluntarily. The MEP said: "Ms Reding's neck is 100 per cent brass. To credit the quota proposals for these increases, when they have been in place less than two months and have no force whatsoever, is preposterous. Her claim is breathtaking. This continued improvement in the number of women in the boardroom is nothing to do with the Commission or the EU and everything to do with companies doing the right thing voluntarily. They are increasingly recognising the valuable contribution women bring to the top tiers of business”. Also, in some member states, Belgium and France for instance, national regulation of quota for women in boardrooms has played its role in the by Ms Reding mentioned increase.