On Tuesday 1 September, the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) heard the presentation of a study assessing the European Union’s third action plan on gender equality in external action (GAP III), with a view to drawing lessons for GAP IV, scheduled for 2028-2034. The study, carried out by Petra Debusscher and Blerina Vila, will feed into the own-initiative report being jointly prepared by the FEMM and development (DEVE) committees, of which the draft is due to be presented on 10 September.
Initially planned for 2021-2025 and then extended until 2027, GAP III helped to further integrate gender equality into European external action. The share of new actions with equality as a principal or significant objective thus rose from 64.71% in 2019 to 82% in 2024, close to the 85% target set by the plan.
“Institutionalisation does not mean transformation”, Petra Debusscher nevertheless pointed out. The data make it possible to assess programming more than the changes actually produced.
Among the actions taken worldwide under the NDICI-Europe instrument that contribute to equality, only 4% pursue it as a primary objective. Moreover, in 2024 only 50% of new actions classified as having no gender-related objective were properly justified.
Investments also continue to lag behind. Between 2021 and 2024, 63% of blended finance operations and 59% of guarantees were classified as contributing to equality or pursuing it as a principal objective, compared with a target of 85%.
Following the presentation, Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew Europe, Swedish) argued that the gap between programming and investments would have to be addressed in GAP IV, notably with Global Gateway, the EU strategy aimed at “developing smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport and strengthening health, education and research systems worldwide”.
The funding of women’s rights organisations was also raised in the discussion. Valérie Devaux (Renew Europe, Swedish) asked the authors about the possibility of setting a 20% target for actions having the improvement of women’s situation as their principal objective and of reserving 5% of funding for those organisations.
According to the study, their direct funding remains low compared with the European external action budget, and it recommends more direct, multiannual and accessible access to funds.
Mélissa Camara (the Greens/EFA group, French) also called for feminist organisations to receive “predictable, multiannual and direct” European funding. She also supported keeping sexual and reproductive rights and the rights of LGBTIQ+ people at the heart of GAP IV, in the face of movements challenging them.
Moreover, Heléne Fritzon (S&D, Swedish) mentioned testimony from women and girls reporting a rollback of their rights and a reduction in resources granted to associations. As the MEP argued, these concerns must be taken into account in discussions on the next European budget.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/n7z (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)