In a statement issued on Wednesday 8 July, five ministers called for the establishment of a formal Gender Equality Council. An appeal already relayed by several ministers and MEPs in recent months (see EUROPE 12441/8, 12520/7).
Such ministerial format would allow governments to come together to coordinate their efforts in the area of gender equality, plead Franziska Giffey, German Minister responsible for Women and Youth, Mariana Vieira da Silva, Portuguese Minister of State, Taina Bofferding, Luxembourg Minister for Equality between Women and Men, Christie Morreale, Wallonia Regional Minister responsible for Equal Opportunities and Women's Rights, and Rosianne Cutajar, Maltese Minister for Equality and Reforms.
“This is the time to put gender equality and women's rights at the heart of the EU's recovery strategy and to deliver bold and ambitious policies”, the ministers say, recalling that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated persistent inequalities between men and women (see EUROPE 12457/17).
They recall the need, moreover, in this context, for women to be represented and participate in political and economic decision-making on an equal footing with men and insist that the gender dimension be taken into account in policy making at European and national level.
“As we recover we must seize the opportunity to progressively transform Europe by implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Pillar of Social Rights and a progressive gender equality agenda”, they write, stressing that the work of the European institutions is “crucial” in this process.
To view the statement: https://bit.ly/2BNfDYK (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)