Violence, economic power, inequality in times of crisis... Paulina Brandberg, Swedish Minister for Gender Equality, outlined the gender equality priorities of her country’s Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 13093/8) to the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) on Wednesday 25 January.
While her speech opened with the consequences of the war in Ukraine for women, children and minorities, she mainly stressed the importance of including a gender dimension in all policies and her determination to move forward on important issues, such as the EU ratification of the Istanbul Convention, the Directive to combat gender-based violence or the Directives on equality bodies (see EUROPE 13079/21). MEPs questioned her on issues ranging from data collection on gender-based violence to the right to abortion in the EU and the criminalisation of prostitution.
Ms Brandberg returned to some of these points in an interview with EUROPE. (Interview by Hélène Seynaeve)
Agence Europe - Some conservative MEPs say that due to a backlash against the Istanbul Convention in some Member States, the EU Council should not ratify it [on behalf of the EU]. Do you expect it to be ratified during your Presidency?
Paulina Brandberg - I know that there are different views from different Member States on this convention. In our Presidency, we will listen to all member states because we want to find a solution that fits all members . [...]
This is a very important Convention. I have a background as a prosecutor, I’ve worked a lot on domestic violence and violence against women. I think this is a very important tool and we need to do everything we can to move forward on this issue. And our ambition is to achieve ratification.
Another important piece of legislation on this subject is the proposal for a Directive to end gender-based violence. Parliament is moving towards strengthening it (see EUROPE 13098/11, 13106/6, 13095/1). You said that your aim was to find compromises. Do you see it becoming more ambitious in EU Council?
It is important to have high ambitions, because it is an important issue, but it is all in the balance. A compromise must be sought that is acceptable to all Member States in order to achieve a general approach [political agreement, Editor’s note] while having an effective Directive. It is our duty as a Presidency to find this balance.
One of the points of debate, both in Parliament and between Member States, is the inclusion of the criminalisation of the purchase of sex services. What are your thoughts on that?
We have this legislation in Sweden [criminalising clients of prostitution, Editor’s note] and it is widely accepted. When you have this view, you would like everyone to share it, but we are aware that this is an issue where opinions differ and where it is difficult to find common ground. However, there is common ground on the need to reduce the demand for sex services. So I think it is important to focus on areas where you actually can find a common ground.
We will hold a high-level conference on sex trafficking [in Stockholm on 29-30 March]. This is an area where Member States can share their positions, and Sweden will share its position. I hope that we can we can move forward in that way, while being aware, of course, that this is an area where opinions differ.
In your speech to the FEMM Committee, you talked about gender mainstreaming. Can you give more details?
When we hold the Presidency, we represent the EU Council, but we also bring our own experiences. In Sweden, we work a lot with gender mainstreaming in all policies and in all budget processes. So this is something we want to put higher on the agenda. It is also a way to strengthen women’s economic independence, which is important and has been undermined during the crises.
The Equal Treatment Directive has been blocked in the EU Council since 2008. One of the sticking points is reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. How can you unblock it?
This is a difficult Directive. We have not been able to reach an agreement over several years. We will try to make progress by taking into account all points of view in order to identify the areas where there are difficulties and to see if we can move beyond them without diluting the Directive. Because it is in our interest - and that of many Member States - to have an effective anti-discrimination Directive.
Do you think this proposal will ever come out of the EU Council?
I think we have to be realistic, but there is absolutely a chance to move it forward. If we could start a momentum and the Spanish Presidency took over [from July onwards, Editor’s note], that would be a big achievement.
The relationship of the Swedish Democrats [far-right party, Editor’s note] with your government is worrying. One of the examples raised is the abandonment of Sweden’s ‘feminist foreign policy’. Your response is that the government is focusing on content rather than words. But don’t you think that dropping the name sends a signal?
Words can sometimes take too much focus: you start discussing vocabulary instead of the actual content of the politics. Sometimes you dress up your policy in beautiful words, but you don’t accomplish anything. This government is focused on content and achievements, and as Minister for Gender Equality, that is the only thing that matters: making a difference for women, minorities or other vulnerable groups that really need protection.