20/03/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 18 March and until 15 April, the European Commission opened a call for evidence on the future action plan for gender equality and women’s empowerment in EU external action (‘Gender Action Plan 2028-2034’, GAP IV), due to be adopted in early 2027. The aim is to gather the opinions of stakeholders in order to improve the guidelines for the future instrument, which should, at a time when a decline in women’s rights - exacerbated by authoritarian regimes and a drop in funding - is being observed on an international scale, enable the EU to be more consistent and ambitious in terms of equality in its external partnerships. The plan aims to dismantle the causes of inequality, empower women economically and integrate gender equality into all external policies. Call for evidence: https://aeur.eu/f/lae (NP)