Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Ordinary meeting
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FEMM European Parliament
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Lina Gálvez
So I will start by Maria Walsh, EPP. So the floor is yours for three minutes.
please.
Maria Walsh
Thank you very much, Chair. And, as you shared, I was honored to have the opportunity to participate in the femme mission to New York for the UN Commission on the Status of Women, one of two EPP representatives. This year, the focus I shared was ensuring women and girls can access justice. We also looked at women's role in decision-making and the impact digital violence is having on women in public life. As you will see from the mission report, which is brilliantly written, we met with a lot of organizations and agencies, hearing about their current projects and understanding their challenges, many of which we face in this room right now.
We were very lucky, as shared by the chair, to have a meeting with the SecGen of the UN. For me, the most notable takeaway from the meeting was his insistence that AI and its power to harm will be one of the biggest threats to the world in years to come, particularly from women. And as an MEP who has consistently sounded the alarms of deepfakes for women and girls, it was promising to hear the SecGen's acknowledgment and commitment to tackling the dangers posed by AI. I know many of our colleagues in this room also feel the same. Another interesting takeaway was that CSOs, NGOs, and activists had issues with visa and funding, which was not seen as a prominent issue in previous years.
But, colleagues, my biggest takeaway from the mission, based on discussions with different organizations, was that there was a very clear and growing pushback against gender equality. Subtle in some rooms, very loud in others. It's becoming more organized and absolutely more visible. At the session, we also witnessed firsthand this pushback. And as shared for the first time ever, the agreed actions were not reached by consensus, but by a vote.
And as a result of The United States Of America having issues with the term gender equality and citing claims of censorship, these efforts led by The US to weaken commitments to gender equality were disappointing and nothing short of worrying. The threat to progress is absolutely real. It's in front of us. Misinformation is spreading online and offline. Here in the EU, we have come so far with gender equality, but colleagues, we absolutely cannot fail and fall victim to the trend of reversing equalities or stalling our efforts to achieve true equality for the 51% of our population.
So all that considered, colleagues, I would say it was a very, very brilliant mission with lots of learnings and a powerful reminder that we need to stay committed to gender equality universally. Oh, slow down. Apologies, interpreters. I'm the problem. It's me, as Taylor Swift sings.
Stay committed to gender equality because, unfortunately, there are those actively working against it both in the EU, in this house right now, and, of course, outside it. And finally, chair, let me just say a very thankful, heartfelt thanks to our secretary for organizing a brilliant mission. Thank you.
Lina Gálvez
Thank you. Thank you very much. Indeed, I mean, for the role of, our secretary was really, really great and also on guiding us on that labyrinth that is also the UN. And indeed, now we can't take profit today. It's our commissioner will be our commissioner with us, Haya Labiba, to insist how important is that we move on strategy, specific strategy on women's and artificial intelligence and general quality artificial intelligence, something, more on this digital violence because, yes, it's clear that it is a threat, and we are lagging behind it.
Now Helen Fritzsund from S and D, the floor is yours for three minutes. Thank you.
Heléne Fritzon
Thank you, and thank you Cher, for your leadership during the CSW. Thank you so much. Our mission to New York for CSW took place at a very critical moment for gender equality globally. It clearly showed the scale of the challenges ahead, international consensus on women's rights. One message was consistent across all meetings.
Expectations on the EU are extremely high. We are expected to take the lead in defending gender equality and advancing women's rights, not only in words, but through concrete actions. The global backlash is real and growing. And this is not the time for caution. It's time for clear political leadership and strategic ambitions.
Heléne Fritzon
Also received alarming briefings, it was mentioned here, from the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. The financial support to the UN is decreasing sharply. And at the same time, we can see that the needs are increasing. So several agencies are being forced to scale down operations and reduce their presence on the ground. This risks undermining hard-won progress, particularly for women and girls in the most vulnerable contexts.
Many meetings confirmed a tougher political climate, with increasing pushback against gender equality every day, especially on inclusive policies and funding priorities. So for the first time in 70 years, the CSW outcome document was not adopted by consensus. It was through a vote with The United States as the only country opposing, language on girls and women's rights. This says a lot about how it is in the world today and how US is acting. And we can see it in a lot of political areas, especially, of course, on gender equality, on issues related to human rights, and so on.
So this leads to one clear conclusion: the EU, we must step up politically, financially, and strategically. And we must continue to show leadership because that means that we can play a role, and that means that we can make a difference for girls and women. Thank you so much.
Lina Gálvez
Thank you. Thank you very much, Helen. Indeed, there were great expectations for the European Union, and we have really to maintain and to deliver to these expectations. I don't see more members that were part of the mission. We already have our commissioner out.
But if there is any other member that would like to take the floor for just one minute, otherwise, we will close this point, just really expressing my sincere gratitude to all members together to part the missions, to the secretariat, to also all the political advisers that were with us. And I would like also to thank the European Parliament and Tina on the United Nations in New York for the invaluable support in organizing the mission and for their assistance throughout our stay there in New York. And given the success of the mission on the number of important meetings and networking opportunities, it could be advisable to attend the commission of the status of women again next year during the first week. We believe this is essential to ensure effective engagement, maximize impact, and strengthen the visibility of our work. And as Helen was saying, also, the importance, other actors are given now to the European Union as a whole, and, of course, within the European Union institutions, the European Parliament and this committee should play a very important role.
It is equally important to ensure continuity in our efforts as part of our broader and sustained commitment to advancing agenda equality. So thank you once more. And we finish this point here, and we move, we will move now to point five, which is a change of views with Haya Labib, which is our commissioner for equality preparedness and crisis management. So just a couple of minutes to welcome her, and, we start, as I say, in a couple of minutes. So hello again, and thank you.
Thank you very much, Commissioner Laviev, for being here once more in this FAM committee for our second structured dialogue with the European Parliament on the gender equality strategy. Our last structure dialogue together was last year on eighteen February twenty twenty-five. We are so happy. We were just talking about you before. I hope, I don't know if you're here or not.
We were talking about our mission to the CSW in New York. You were also there, having a very important role. We were discussing how important is becoming the role of the European Union on the women's issues in United Nations? How much other actors, how much other countries, NGOs are expecting for us now that there is this backlash, that there are cuts on funding, especially to UN woman and, how important it was our presence there. And, in our case, as a European Parliament, how important it was also to go the first week because in the previous year, we were not at the same time of the rest of the European Union delegation and that we thought it was very important.
We were also discussing after our meeting with the secretary general, Antonio, Uteras, how important, how preoccupied, how difficult it is now to deal with artificial intelligence and all the threats to women and to girls on, because of the digital violence and also, because all the things that are changing. But still it seems that misogyny, it is not changing there, but quite the other one, the otherwise. So, and we were talking saying that this is probably a subject, a topic we really need to insist more on from the European Union on this aspect regarding gender equality, women's rights, and artificial intelligence. In any case, that was just before, but what we are is really, as I was saying before, really very happy to have you here after the adoption of the European Commission's new gender equality strategy 2026, '20, '13. We look forward to your print presentation of this new strategy.
And as you know, the farm committee, this committee is very supportive of your actions, but also, we have many ambitions in our work. I believe we need to step up actions in many areas of gender equality, especially given the ongoing backlash on women's rights, which is now escalated online as we were just discussing before. So while we support your work, the fund committee has many priorities and expectations during these challenging times, which we hope we will take on onboard. Therefore, the goal of the structured dialogue today is to have an exchange on the gender equality strategy and also hear from the commissioner on upcoming plans for new actions in areas of women's rights. We also want to hear about how implementation is going on key directive negotiated by the FAM Committee, of course, because implementation, we move a very important, we passed very important legislation last Monday, but all that need to be implemented, and we need also funds for that.
We need budget for that. The farm committee is very committed to work in the area of women's right and gender equality, and we want to keep up the momentum in our work. This is important, as we were discussing also before, because the backlash we are facing is not backing down, and neither will be our commitment related to moving on this agenda on gender equality and women's rights. So, without further delay, I invite you. I thank you again.
And, obviously, I invite you to take the floor to explain to us this strategy. We have already, Marie Richlatt with us. He has been a rapporteur for the any report. And, so, to share also with us, whatever you want to share with us on the initiatives the commission is taking to move on this agenda, we, commonly, support and believe, strongly, in. So the floor is yours, and thank you very much for being here again.
Hadja Lahbib
Thank you very much, Madam President, dear Lina Galves. Honorable members, it's a pleasure to be with you here because indeed today, the headlines are dominated by war in The Middle East and its consequences, rising energy prices, inflation, displacement, disrupted supply chains, but there is another battle being fought, quieter, less visible, but just as important, the fight for equality. I saw this firsthand last month in New York at the Commission on the Status of Women. Rights that were hard-won are now being questioned. And this fight is not just about half of humanity.
It's about all of us because men and boys are part of the solution. So let me start with one very clear message. The world may have changed, but the European Union's commitment to gender equality has not. And that is why I want to thank you. I want to thank you all, honorable members of this committee.
During the last mandate, you helped make Europe more equal for women and girls, and this resulted in truly impressive achievements. The pay transparency directive, the gender balance on company boards directive, the EU's accession to the Istanbul Convention, the first ever directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, and two directives strengthening equality bodies. Now this mandate is about putting them into action. Honorable members, as we strive to make Europe fully fair and fully equal, we should not forget one thing. Europe is a good place to be a woman.
Let's say that very clearly. But the road ahead is still long. No country has achieved full gender equality, nowhere in Europe, nowhere in the world. And two things are certain. We will never go backwards, and we will keep moving forward.
And that is why your support on the roadmap for women's rights was so important. And if the road map was our promise, this strategy is our engine to make it happen. And this strategy, as you know, is built on very concrete actions, dirty actions across all areas of lives and all EU policies. It looks at the full picture because women face not one single barrier but many barriers, and it responds with targeted actions. And allow me to repeat once again, men and boys must be part of the solution, and there should be more of them here today.
I count only five or six of them. I hope next time there will be more. Fairer, more equal societies are good for them too, improving their health and their quality of life. And we are supporting this, for example, by encouraging more men to work in care and education, to take parental leave, and with flexible working arrangements. Because equality at work starts with the choices we make at home.
Honorable members, today, let me highlight a few priorities of this strategy. First, ending violence against women online and offline. One in three women in Europe experiences gender based violence, and every week, eighteen women are killed in the EU simply because they are women. This is unacceptable. And that is why we are supporting member states to put into action our directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence.
It will help put a stop to violence, strengthen protection, and improve support for victims. It also recognized that some women face higher risks. For example, women with disabilities and calls for tailored support, such as accessible helplines. We will also continue to promote a simple but essential principle. Sex without consent is rape everywhere across the EU.
Your commitment to this committee is crucial to this. Yeah. Yes. And we must also adapt our response to today's new threats. Violence follows women online in messages, in threats, in images, in sexually explicit deepfakes designed to humiliate, and it does unspeakable harm.
And that is why we are enforcing the digital services act and stepping up with a new action plan to fight cyberbullying. Online platforms are not neutral playgrounds. They shape behavior, and they must take responsibility. Our second priority is women's health. For too long, women have been treated according to male standards.
No more. I know this is a priority for your committee, and that you are working on a report on gender inequality and health. So, thank you. Thank you very much for that. Women are underdiagnosed, for example, in heart disease.
Research still too often ignores sex differences, and women's pain is too often dismissed. These are not details. They are structural blind spots. And just imagine that women suffering in a hospital bed with the wrong diagnosis could be your wife, could be your mother, or your daughter. We are also launching a new initiative with the World Health Organization to build health care that actually reflects women's bodies and their lives.
We will invest in gender-sensitive research, improve diagnostics and treatments, and make sure health care reflects women's real needs, not outdated assumptions. We will also do more on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe and beyond. In February, we responded positively to the citizens' initiative, recognizing that unsafe abortion is a public health issue. This met your call for a positive reply. From now on, member states can use the European Social Fund Plus to support access to safe abortion.
Honorable members, tomorrow marks 5 years of war in Sudan. And you know that in every crisis, women and girls pay the highest price. Yesterday, I spoke with Rahaf, a young Sudanese refugee in Egypt. She's 18 and just finished high school with top marks. She's full of dreams and ambition, passionate about economy.
And maybe one day, she will lead the World Bank. Let's hope for this. And we will be of that because it will be thanks to our EU support. We must stand with every woman like Rahaf, especially in moments of crisis and conflict, where too often rape and gender-based violence are used as a weapon of war. And we are launching Shield, Sexual and Reproductive Health in Emergencies and Life in Dignity.
It will improve access to sexual and reproductive health services and support survivors of gender-based violence. Our church focus is on economic power and competitiveness. Gender equality is not just about fairness. It's about prosperity. The gender pay gap in the EU is still 11%.
The pension gap is 25%. Women must be paid the same as men for the same work. No more excuses. We are working with member states and social partners to fully implement the pay transparency directive. We will also work with member states to tackle the causes of the gender pension gap.
The employment gap between women and men costs Europe 390,000,000,000 every year. That is a lost skill, lost innovation, lost growth, and lost competitiveness. It also leads to increased poverty for women at the end of their lives. We also need to combat the stereotypes that put women and men into typical jobs: women in care, men in technology. We need to break free of these chains once and for all.
We need women to be part of building the future, coding, and designing the technologies of tomorrow. To make this happen, we are launching an action plan on women in research, innovation, and start-up. Our goal is to make Europe the best place in the world for women in these fields by 2030. But none of this works if women don't feel safe at work. More than four in ten young women in the EU face sexual harassment at work.
As we prepare the Quality Jobs Act, we are working with social partners to strengthen prevention and accountability. And we need, of course, as you rightly said, dear Lina, robust funding in our next EU budget. Finally, we need more women in public and political life. Women are half of our population, but only one-third of our national parliaments, and one in three senior ministers in the EU are women. That gap weakens in the democracies.
More women in politics means better decision making and stronger democracies, but too many women face threats, harassment, and intimidation, especially online. When women are pushed out, democracy is pushed back. And that is why we will present a recommendation on safety in politics, as announced in the European Democracy Shield. It will protect those who step forward to serve, like you, with special attention to women in politics. We are also addressing the toxic narratives and networks such as incest that draw young men into hatred and polarization, working with communities and civil society to promote dialogue instead.
Honorable members, last month, I presented a new gender equality strategy at the seventeenth session of the commission on the status of women in New York. And I want to thank you for your resolution on access to justice for all women and girls, and for sending a parliamentary representation of delegation. Your engagement matters, and it makes a difference. The session took place in a very difficult political context. The backlash against gender equality is real, organized, funded, and growing, and against the UN system that supports it.
For the first time, the adopted conclusions were put to a vote by the United States, breaking the long tradition of consensus. We held the line, but the ground is shifting. This goes along with the US withdrawal from many UN and international organizations addressing women's rights, and it will have real consequences for millions of women and girls. So in our external action, we are renewing our commitment to gender equality as defenders of rights, as engines of progress, and as reliable donors. Honorable members, at the current pace, it will take at least 50 years to reach gender equality, half a century.
That is a lifetime. That means my granddaughter might be a grandmother by the time we get there. We simply cannot wait that long. Thank you.
Lina Gálvez
Thank you. Thank you very much. Indeed, we cannot wait that long time for quality. It's now, although, we are facing this backlash, as you were saying, we have to say clearly, Europe is a good place to live if you are a woman, but also there are a lot of inequalities within European women. We have seen on my voice, my choice, access to a safer, clear, safer legal abortion or many other aspects regarding where you are, the different national legislation, all your background, geographical, socioeconomic background.
There are a lot of differences among European women's that we really need to tackle as well. And, obviously, intersectionality is included in the strategy, and I'm sure we can work together for that. And now, I will give the floor to fund coordinators or the person that are represented as different political groups as coordinators today, for three minutes each. And as usual, we will start by EPP and Elizabetha Luca Esieska. Please, the floor is yours for three minutes.
Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska
Thank you so much. Thank you, commissioner. I will use my mother tongue. Could you.
Thank you so much.
Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska
Jean Cue Barto Jean Thank
You, chair. Thank you for introducing the strategy. I think, madam commissioner, we're not just interested in the words, but also in the effects of the strategy. I agree with all the points. Pay equality, access to abortion, etc.
But looking at today's work,
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