A court ruled on Tuesday that North Rhine-Westphalia's "women's advancement" law was unconstitutional because it violates the principle of best selection for employment. The high administrative court in Münster ruled against the state law, which declared that women with “essentially the same skills, qualifications and professional accomplishments” should be favoured for promotion in public jobs. The law, in effect since last July for civil servants in the western state, had been defended by the state government before several other lower courts. The Münster court ruled that this law violated the German constitutional concept of choosing the best candidate. Germany also implemented a so-called "women's quota" last year for larger businesses to help get more women into higher positions.

Source: The Local February 22, 2017 11:05 UTC