Presenting the priorities of the Presidency of the Council of the EU to MEPs on the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), the Cypriot Minister of Justice and Public Order, Costas Fitiris, made the fight against gender-based violence, particularly online, a top priority.
The Minister noted the particular responsibility of the Cyprus Presidency, in a context of “enormous political, geopolitical and social challenges”.
Declaring that the Member State was convinced of “the value of unity, the autonomy of the European Union, the rule of law and democracy”, the Minister affirmed Cyprus’ willingness to play a mediating role within the EU Council in order to strengthen the “security, autonomy and openness” of the EU.
The aim is to guarantee effective protection of the rights of women and girls, to combat all forms of gender-based violence and to promote equality at all levels, whether social, economic or political.
Mélissa Camara MEP (Greens/EFA, French) called on him to highlight the current situation with regard to cyber-violence, mentioning “the rape culture around artificial intelligence” and regretting that “there is not a single mention of the term LGBT in this programme” nor “any reference to sexual and reproductive rights”. She called for “real political leadership” and cited, among her expectations, the anti-discrimination directive, blocked in the Council of the EU since 2008 (see EUROPE 13795/26), and the issue of conversion practices, following the European citizens’ initiative which has reached one million signatures (see EUROPE 13754/27).
On sexual and reproductive rights, Costas Fitiris responded by limiting the scope of the Presidency’s action. “Reproductive and sexual health and women’s issues fall within the remit of the Member States” he said.
Adding that: “We cannot take over the prerogatives of the Member States”.
The Chair of the FEMM Committee, Lina Gálvez (S&D, Spanish), questioned the Presidency on the concrete tools for including equality in all policies, asking whether the high-level conference announced in February would include ‘gender budgeting’. She also called for a more comprehensive response to digital violence, mentioning a possible European delay and its effects, particularly on the mental health of teenage girls.
With regard to the horizontal “equal treatment” directive, the Minister referred to the fact that it had been “at a standstill for 17 years”, due to the lack of unanimity in the EU Council, with reservations about national competences and the cost of implementation, “especially for issues relating to disability”.
He stated that he wanted to cooperate, but did not promise a rapid outcome, saying that the Presidency “is not going to promise you concrete objectives and results in this area”.
To see the priorities (see p. 34 of the programme) : https://aeur.eu/f/kib (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)