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The late Simone Veil, pictured in 2011. The European Parliament's first president, she was not a man, not conservative or socialist, and as an atheist Jew, she was also not a Christian. Without her, the diversity picture would look far more bleak (Photo: European Parliament)

Sexism and the selection of the European Parliament president

How bad is the diversity gap when it comes to current and past presidents of the European Parliament? The answer is: quite bad. And this is true for not just one, but a number of different aspects of diversity.\n \nIn a curious twist, the elected parliament's first president, Simone Veil, was in many ways the flagship for diversity, compared to those that followed.\n \nShe was not a man, she was not conservative or socialist, and as an atheist Jew, she was also not a Christian. Without her, t...

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Pelle Christy Geertsen is managing director of the consultancy Euraffex, a commentator on EU politics, and a long-time observer of the European Parliament.

The late Simone Veil, pictured in 2011. The European Parliament's first president, she was not a man, not conservative or socialist, and as an atheist Jew, she was also not a Christian. Without her, the diversity picture would look far more bleak (Photo: European Parliament)

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Author Bio

Pelle Christy Geertsen is managing director of the consultancy Euraffex, a commentator on EU politics, and a long-time observer of the European Parliament.

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