Following the European Commission’s presentation of its strategy for equality between women and men 2026–2030 on Thursday 5 March (see EUROPE 13822/21), a number of MEPs welcomed certain priorities, but called for greater ambition in the face of growing pressure on women's rights.
The Social Democrats (S&D) particularly regret the lack of new legislative initiatives.
The importance of implementing the directives adopted in recent years, such as those on pay transparency and combating violence against women, is emphasised by the S&D who nevertheless regard the strategy as being too cautious at a time when inequalities persist and anti-equality rhetoric is gaining ground.
For the rapporteur of the Women’s Rights Committee (FEMM), Marko Vešligaj (S&D, Croatian), the strategy “does not meet the level of ambition that Europe needs”.
In a press release, the MEP criticised the European Commission’s reluctance to tackle the issue of rape in the absence of consent, saying that it would first assess developments in national legislation before considering any European initiative.
When asked, the Green coordinator of the FEMM Committee, Mélissa Camara (French) noted the “positive progress” but also pointed the finger at the particular weakness that were present in light of the risk of going backwards (https://aeur.eu/f/l25 ). “Europe cannot afford to be timid. We need to take strong new steps”, she declared.
The Renew Europe group was more favourable and welcomed the priority given to combating gender-based violence, in particular cyber-violence and the misuse of artificial intelligence to produce manipulated sexual content against women. In addition, measures designed to strengthen women’s economic autonomy are supported.
Similarly, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has positively welcomed the strategy.
In an interview published by the Institute, its Director, Carlien Scheele, notes the consistency of the text with the European Roadmap for Women’s Rights and with the indicators used to measure progress in equality in the EU.
It also welcomes a number of priorities, such as combating gender-based violence, reducing the gender pay gap and the gap in healthcare provision, and achieving greater balance in decision-making positions. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)