Sweden Puts Malmstroem Forward to Stay On as EU Commissioner

Sweden on Thursday backed current EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem to stay on for a second mandate in a soon-to-be-named new European Commission -- the second female appointment for a team in desperate need of women.

"It's gratifying to be able to nominate Cecilia," Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt told news agency TT upon putting forward his fellow Swedish politician.

"Happy and honored to have been nominated as Commissioner for a second term," Malmstroem wrote in response on Twitter.

"Sweden has now renominated Malmstroem as EU Commissioner. Done splendid job on difficult portfolio. An asset to EU and the Commission," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt wrote on Twitter.

Before Malmstroem, Czech politician Vera Jourova was the only woman appointed by the member states to join the executive body of the European Union as a commissioner.

The president-designate of the European Commission, former Luxembourg premier Jean-Claude Juncker, should present a team with at least nine female candidates to provide minimal gender balance and get the required approval from the European Parliament, according to the legislature's head, German Social-Democrat Martin Schulz.

Yet, even including other countries expected to nominate a woman, Juncker's team would only feature seven female candidates.

Since 2010, Malmstroem has held the commission's home affairs portfolio, in charge of security and a common EU migration and asylum policy.

During her first mandate, Malmstroem had to deal with thorny issues like increasing migratory pressure from Africa to Europe, with several boat tragedies in the Mediterranean, and U.S. spying activities revealed by fugitive former NSA analyst Edward Snowden.