During a structured dialogue held on Tuesday 14 April with MEPs from the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), the Commissioner for Equality, Hadja Lahbib – who was defending the 2026–2030 strategy for equality between women and men that was presented last March (see EUROPE 13823/25) – answered the MEPs’ questions, which focused largely on the implementation of this plan.
On the subject of violence, especially digital violence, several elected representatives described a rapid worsening of the situation. Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska (EPP, Polish) spoke of an “unprecedented” phenomenon, including “deepfakes”, threats and the dissemination of intimate images without consent.
Valérie Devaux (Renew Europe, French) highlighted the exposure of young girls on social networks and questioned the European Commission about additional measures, notably on the subject of a digital majority.
Hadja Lahbib replied that these practices are already regulated. “We have already addressed this issue through the Digital Services Act and theAI Act”, she said, mentioning also the directive on violence against women, which criminalises non-consensual content and cyberbullying. She added that a dialogue is underway with the platforms and that an action plan against cyberbullying should help Member States to adapt their legislation.
Regarding the European definition of rape, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus (S&D, Polish) recalled Parliament’s repeated calls for consent to be enshrined in European law (see EUROPE 13816/22). The Commissioner acknowledged recent developments and announced a mapping exercise of national legislation prior to any initiative, adding that a new proposal would depend on its conclusions.
On the subject of pay inequalities, Mélissa Camara (Greens/EFA, French) called for more precise targets to be set and for the budget to be monitored accordingly. The Commissioner announced that a methodology for monitoring expenditure is being prepared for the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
Hadja Lahbib also affirmed that equality is integrated into all European policies and into each Commissioner’s portfolio, arguing that the priority was also to apply existing texts before proposing new ones. “The best directive is the one that is implemented”, she declared. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)