German Cabinet OKs women's quota for directors

BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet has approved legislation that will require leading companies to have at least 30 percent women on their supervisory boards from 2016.

Manuela Schwesig, the minister for families and women, on Thursday called the bill "a milestone on the way to more equality."

Women hold just 22 percent of positions on the supervisory boards of companies listed in Germany's benchmark DAX index, according to Economy Ministry figures.

The plan will affect 112 listed companies starting 2016. Companies failing to recruit enough female directors will be barred from giving vacant seats to men. Norway, Spain, Iceland and France have similar quota requirements.

These German companies are affected:

Adidas Allianz Amadeus Fire Andreae-Noris Zahn Audi Aurubis AXA Axel Springer BASF BAYER Bilfinger BMW BayWa Bechtle Beiersdorf Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen BLG Logistics Group (Bremer Lagerhaus-Gesellschaft) Bremer Straßenbahn AG Carl Zeiss Meditec Celesio Commerzbank Continental Daimler Deutsche Bank Deutsche Lufthansa Deutsche Post Deutsche Postbank Deutsche Telekom Deutz DMG MORI SEIKI (ehem. Gildemeister AG) Drägerwerk Dürr ElringKlinger E.ON EnBW EPCOS Ergo Versicherungsgruppe Essanelle Hair Group Evonik Fielmann Fraport Freenet Fresenius GEA Group Generali Deutschland Gerresheimer Grammer HLLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG) HeidelbergCement Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Henkel Hochtief Homag Group

Hornbach Hugo Boss Infineon Jenoptik Jungheinrich KION Koenig & Bauer Krones KSB AG KUKA Landesbank Berlin Lanxess Leoni Linde Mainova MAN Maternus-Kliniken MediClin Merck KGaA Metro MTU Aero Engines Münchener Rück MVV Energie Nürnberger Beteiligungs-AG Oldenburgische Landesbank Osram Paul Hartmann AG Rheinmetall Rhön-Klinikum                       RWE Sanacorp Pharmaholding SAP Sartorius Schuler SGL Carbon Siemens SMA Solar Technology Software AG Strabag Südzucker Symrise Talanx telegate ThyssenKrupp TUI AG üstra Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe Villeroy & Boch Volkswagen Wacker Chemie WASGAU Produktions & Handels AG Wincor Nixdor WMF AG Wüstenrot & Württembergische