A thread about Federica Mogherini and her possible appointment as Rector of the College of Europe.

This story, and the discussion around it, has shifted a bit in the past 12 hours, so this thread sets out the current situation and my views.

First, the main critique of my scepticism of Mogherini has been "why do women get this sort of criticism?"

Sorry, but there are women who are inappropriate for jobs just as there are men who are also inappropriate.

It'd be super to have a first woman as Rector of the College of Europe - I am just far from sure whether Mogherini is the right person, as I will explain in the thread.

This is the document we have from the Commission about the situation:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/c20209013_en.pdf

The important part is this - the Commission has OKed it, but this is not a done deal on the College side (my highlighting)

We do not have anything from the College itself about where the process currently stands on their side.

But what does the College itself say in the job ad for the Rector?

Here's the advertisement for the vacancy:
https://www.coleurope.eu/vacancies/job-vacancy-rector

On background

Mogherini does not comply with those requirements.

Now, you might make an argument that the requirements are *wrong*, but she does not comply with them.

If the College has concluded its requirements are wrong it needs to say so.

This one also gives me cause for concern.

Is Mogherini going to be committed to this full time? Is she going to turn down non-College connected commitments? Some reassurance needed here.

Also remember the job ad talks of budgetary management, and the College gets a *lot* of its money (I don't know how much exactly) from the EU...

... and we have this in the Commission document.

So Mogherini could not actually do one of the parts of the job that is supposedly required.

I hence think that this possible appointment does not work on the College of Europe's own terms.

I am pretty sure there must be other candidates who can fulfil more of the requirements.

Now to my own view of this...

I think what Mogherini brings - well connected, political, EU institutional knowledge - is exactly what the College has an abundance of already.

What the College needs in my view (and I have been teaching there for five years) is clarity about its academic role, and for its administrative problems to be addressed. I am not at all convinced Mogherini is the right person to overcome those problems.

I am ready to be convinced that she is the right person to be appointed to this position, but for the reasons set out in this thread my starting point is one of scepticism.

/ends