The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has called for more effective implementation of the European Union strategy for gender equality 2026-2030 - published last March (see EUROPE 13822/21) -, in an opinion adopted on 15 July in plenary session by 213 votes in favour, five against and eight abstentions, and then published on Wednesday 29 July. The Committee considers that equality between women and men is “a fundamental value”, but also “a driver of economic growth, competitiveness and resilience”.
Moreover, according to the EESC, the main weakness of the previous strategy lay in uneven implementation across the Member States. It recommends clearer benchmarks, more effective monitoring and better articulation between equality objectives, the European Semester budgetary process, European Union funding programmes and monitoring of the rule of law.
The opinion also notes that promoting equality could lead to a 9.6% increase in GDP per capita and generate 10.5 million additional jobs by 2050, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
The Committee also calls for full transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive, better consideration of biases linked to artificial intelligence and action against gender-based violence, particularly online.
Opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/n3b (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)