European Women's Lobby

The EU has the legal obligation to ensure equality between women and men and to apply gender mainstreaming to EU policies. This goal cannot be achieved without equal representation of women at the top decision-making positions and it is time Member States fully realize it. https://lnkd.in/ez5SiDYu

For the first time since 1979, the proportion of #women elected in the European Parliament has decreased. This is worrying, especially considering that quite a significant proportion of MEPs sit within political groupings that are known to be hostile toward #womensrights and #genderequality. Check out Gender Five Plus' first thoughts on the matter 👇 #FeministEurope

Today, we wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to extend our warmest support to her commitment to women’s rights and gender equality. We ask that President von der Leyen addresses the Member States’ decisions to disregard her request to submit both a female and a male candidate for Commissioner nominations, with which many EU leaders failed to demonstrate their commitment to equality between women and men, a cornerstone of democracy and social justice. We urge President von der Leyen to stand firm in her convictions and continue championing the cause of equality between women and men within the European Commission. This approach would send a powerful message: that equality between women and men is non-negotiable and that the EU will lead by example. The European Women’s Lobby stands ready to support this cause and we are confident that under the current leadership, the European Union will continue to be a global leader in the fight for equality between women and men. #UnionOfEquality

💡 Last week, I exchanged with Maïa de La Baume and shared the European Women's Lobby priorities for this new #EU term when it comes to #womensrights incl. parity democracy, #SRHR, the implementation of the Directive on #VAWG, proper budget and resources dedicated to women's rights. 📺 Catch up on the video below 👇 🎧 To listen to the full interview, check out the podcast episode of Radio Schuman here: https://lnkd.in/eG-qxqmx #FeministEurope

As EU leaders set priorities for 2024-2029, we join 140 civil society organisations calling for equality and nondiscrimination to be placed at the heart of the European agenda. 💙 Read our joint statement👇 🔗https://lnkd.in/eEUFP5JC

Today we celebrate #InternationalYouthDay, a day when we are all reminded of the tremendous potential to create positive change in our society that young people possess. The European Women's Lobby celebrates this day by highlighting the impact of young feminists in Europe. This year, we are proud to share the work of Anke Besseling, a feminist and activist from the Netherlands. Anke is an alumna of EWL’s Young Feminist Summer Camp AGORA and a founder of E-UNITY, an organisation focused on empowering young people, mainly from marginalised groups, in political participation. With her organisation, Anke launched "EmpowerYouth: Rising Voices Against Harassment," a youth exchange programme that will take place 11-18 November in Sicily, Italy. The event will bring together young EU residents aged 15-29 to foster personal development and improve access to political institutions. Read more about the project, get involved with the work of E-UNITY and learn how to take part in the youth exchange in Italy this November in Anke's article on our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/efWTU9ap Stay tuned for news and updates from this year's AGORA Summer School which will take place 9-13 September in Brussels. We hope that the 2024 AGORA class of young women from all parts of Europe will be inspired by Anke's words: "By advocating for inclusivity and equal opportunities, we strive for a more equitable and participatory society for all." Happy #IYD2024!

Yesterday, we hosted an important event with representatives of the #BrusselsCall coalition and UN Special Rapportuer on Violence against women and girls (UNSRVAWG) Ms Reem Alsalem. The hybrid meeting was attended by over 50 representatives of women's abolitionist organisations from all over Europe. "The work we do takes courage and bravery and we are very happy to share this courage with someone as committed to the cause of women's rights as Mrs. Alsalem." said President of EWL Iliana Balabanova during her opening remarks. During the meeting, all delegates shared their support for the report presented by UNSRVAWG in Geneva last month and highlighted the expectation that EU and national governments will take the report's conclusions and recommendations into serious consideration as an issue of grave violation of women’s human rights that can no longer wait. Ms Reem Alsalem thanked EWL and especially the members of the Brussels Call for their active engagement, quality inputs and ongoing work with survivors of prostitution. "We need to show what your organisations do and that the abolitionist approach is the way forward- with tangible tools such as accessible exit-strategy services we can make evidence-based arguments and change the narrative for good," she concluded. The EWL thanks all participants for their contributions and we look forward to continuing to work together on a Europe free from prostitution and sexual exploitation!

We welcome today's European Court of Human Rights judgment rejecting the notion that the abolitionist model on prostitution violates the European Convention on Human Rights. This is a big step towards a Europe free from prostitution, where all women and girls enjoy equal rights and protections! Our statement 👉 https://lnkd.in/dW9gEkPX

As EU member states continue nominating Commissioners, we urge them to propose both women and men for these jobs. Proven by the gains for women's rights during the last Commission's mandate, equal representation in decision-making is crucial to achieving a better EU for all.

As EU leaders set priorities for 2024-2029, we join 140 civil society organisations calling for equality and nondiscrimination to be placed at the heart of the European agenda. 💙 Read our joint statement👇 🔗https://lnkd.in/eEUFP5JC