What changed

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU),Union,

– having regard to Articles 8, 10 and 19 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to Articles 21 and 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

– having regard to the revised Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765 of 29 February 2024 amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (MFF Revision),2027,

– having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2022/2496 of 15 December 2022 amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027,

– having regard to its resolution of 3 October 2023 on the proposal for a mid-term revision of the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027,

– having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resourcesresources, and in particular point 16(f) thereof,

– having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (recast)Union, and in particular Article 33 thereof,

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 16 July 2025 for a Council regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2028 to 2034 (COM(2025)0571),

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 16 July 2025 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities (COM(2025)0545) and the accompanying impact assessment report of 16 July 2025 (SWD(2025)0590),

– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 3 November 2021 entitled ‘Better Regulation Guidelines’ (SWD(2021)0305),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2020 entitled ‘A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025’ (COM(2020)0152),

– having regard to the 2025 report of the European Commission on gender equality in the EU,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 March 2025 entitled ‘A Roadmap for Women’s Rights’ (COM(2025)0097),

– having regard to the Commission’s statement of estimates for the financial year 2026 of 4 June 2025 (SEC(2025)0250),

– having regard to the programme performance statements of operational expenditure included in the working document part I of 4 June 2025 accompanying the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026 (COM(2025)0300),

– having regard to the Commission’s 2021 Annual Management and Performance Report for the EU Budget – Financial Year 2021 (COM(2022)0401),

– having regard to the Commission’s 2022 Annual Management and Performance Report for the EU Budget – Financial Year 2022 (COM(2023)0401),

– having regard to the Commission’s 2023 Annual Management and Performance Report for the EU Budget – Financial Year 2023 (COM(2024)0401),

– having regard to the Commission’s 2024 Annual Management and Performance Report for the EU Budget – Financial Year 2024 (COM(2025)0824),

– having regard to Special Report 10/2021 of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 10/2021 of 26 May 2021 entitled ‘Gender mainstreaming in the EU budget: time to turn words into action’,

– having regard to the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) briefing of February 2025 entitled ‘Gender-responsive budgeting: State of play and opportunities for the European Parliament’s 10th term’,

– having regard to the study requested by its Committees on Budgets and Budgetary Control entitled ‘European Union gender budgeting – state of play 2024’,

– having regard to the workshop of 25 June 2025 requested by the Committee on Budgetary Control entitled ‘Implementation of the gender mainstreaming methodology in the EU budget’,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A10-0000/2025),(A10-0212/2025),

A. whereas gender equality is an objective of the UnionEU enshrined in its primary law and a principle that should be at the core of all UnionEU policies;

B. whereas gender mainstreaming is a globally recognised strategy to ensure the integration of a gender perspective when designing, implementing and evaluating all policies, programmes and measures, in order to promote gender equality and combat discrimination;

C. whereas gender budgeting is defined by the Council of Europe as being a gender-based assessment of budgets incorporating a gender perspective at all levels of the budgetary process and restructuring revenuesrevenue and expenditure in order to promote gender equality;

D. whereas the EIGE describes gender budgeting as a tool whichthat allows policymakers to promote accountability and transparency, to increase the balanced participation of all genders in the budget process and to advance gender equality;

E. whereas the European Court of Auditors has pointed out that the Union’sEU’s 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework (MFF) did not adequately take gender equality into account;

F. whereas the integration of gender equality as a horizontal priority in the budget of theEU Unionbudget is a long-standing issue of concern both in both the Committee on Budgetary Control and in ParliamentParliament, and is considered a key criterion with which to assess the implementation of the Union’sEU budget and its sound financial management;management, performance and proportionality;

G. whereas gender budgeting is a prerequisite to achieve gender equality and gender equality is in itself a condition for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, including within the Union, where the EIGE has shown through a robust econometric model applied to the specific context of the Union that improving gender equality would result in a series of macroeconomic benefits in several areas such as education, labour market activity and wages; whereas the EIGE has also shown that gender equality has in general a strong, positive impact on gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and that improving gender equality would lead to an increase in the EU’s GDP per capita of at least 6.1 % and up to 9.6 % by 2050, which amounts to EUR 1.95 trillion and EUR 3.15 trillion respectively;

G. whereas gender mainstreaming in the EU budget is reinforced under the Interinstitutional Agreement accompanying the 2021-2027 MFF, including through requirements to strengthen the assessment of gender impact in impact assessments and evaluations under the Better Law-Making framework, and to develop a pilot methodology to measure expenditure relevant to the promotion of gender equality at programme level as of 2023;

H. whereas there has been a concerning decline in Member States’ efforts to implement gender mainstreaming since 2021, which should not be mirrored at Union level;

H. whereas the pursuit of gender equality requires an intersectional approach to gender budgeting that takes into account the compounded discrimination faced by women belonging to racialised groups, persons with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ people and migrants, to ensure that EU spending promotes equality across all dimensions;

I. whereas the systematic integration of ex ante gender equality impact assessments and mitigation measures into the Union’s policymaking processes is necessary to ensure that future initiatives do not unintentionally worsen gender equality;

I. whereas the family is the fundamental unit of society and plays a critical role in fostering the well-being, stability and development of individuals, communities and nations; whereas it is essential, therefore, that EU horizontal policies actively promote and support it;

J. whereas democratic institutions must reflect the diversity of society, most importantly in the composition of their staff;

J. whereas gender budgeting is a prerequisite for achieving gender equality, and gender equality is in itself a condition for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, including within the EU, where the EIGE has shown through a robust econometric model applied to the specific context of the EU that improving gender equality would result in a series of macroeconomic benefits in several areas, such as education, labour market activity and wages; whereas the EIGE has also shown that gender equality generally has a strong positive impact on GDP per capita, and that improving gender equality would lead to an increase in the EU’s GDP per capita of at least 6.1 % and up to 9.6 % by 2050, which amounts to EUR 1.95 trillion and EUR 3.15 trillion respectively;

K. whereas gender balance remains an unachieved objective at numerous, crucial levels of decision-making;

K. whereas the EIGE has reported that there has been a concerning decline in Member States’ efforts to implement gender mainstreaming since 2021, a trend that should not be mirrored at EU level;

L. whereas the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action calls for thesystematic integration of a gender perspective intoex budgetaryante decisionsgender atequality allimpact levels,assessments and the Europeanmitigation Unionmeasures isinto committedthe toEU’s applyingpolicymaking itsprocesses principles,is particularlynecessary to ensure that public resources contributefuture effectivelyinitiatives topromote gender equality and women’s empowerment acrossdo allnot policyworsen areas;it;

M. whereas democratic institutions must reflect the diversity of society, most importantly in the composition of their staff;

N. whereas gender balance remains an unachieved objective at numerous, crucial levels of decision-making;

O. whereas the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action calls for the integration of a gender perspective into budgetary decisions at all levels, and whereas the EU is committed to applying its principles, particularly to ensure that public resources contribute effectively to gender equality and women’s empowerment across all policy areas;

General remarks

1. Welcomes the fact that in line with its binding commitments, and following Parliament’s repeated calls, the Commission has developed a pilot methodology to track and measure expenditure related to gender equality at programme level in the 2021-2027 MFF, with a view to improving gender mainstreaming in the Commission’s budget process and enhancing how policy design and resource allocation advance gender equality objectives;

2. Notes thatthat, under the current methodology, the Commission assigns different scores to programmes based on an assessment of their contribution to gender equality at the most granular level of intervention possible, giving a score of:

a) 2 to interventions of which the principal objective is to improve gender equality;

d) 0* to interventions with a likely but as yet unclear positive impact on gender equality;

3. Notes that the methodology is based on the gender equality policy marker developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is a qualitative statistical tool used to monitor and record development activities that target gender equality as a policy objective and is applied by the Commission to all EU budget spending programmes under shared, direct and indirect management;

4. Stresses that the Commission’s methodology differs from the gender equality policy marker developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as it does not include a score that would allow for tracking the negative effects of EU spending on gender mainstreaming objectives and introduces the category of 0* for interventions with a likely but as yet unclear positive impact on gender equality;

On the implementation of the methodology developed by the Commission

3.5. Notes that the methodology was used for the first time in the process of drafting the estimates for the EU budget for the financial year 2023, accompanied by a retroactive application to the budgets of the financial years 2021 and 2022;

4. Notes that the methodology is built on the basis of the gender equality policy marker developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is a qualitative statistical tool to monitor and record development activities that target gender equality as a policy objective and is applied by the Commission to all Union budget spending programmes under shared, direct and indirect management;

6. Notes that, for the financial year 2021, at the time of the publication of the related Annual Management Performance Report and out of EUR 352 billion in commitments, 1 % of commitments had received a score of 2, 3 % had received a score of 1, 1 % had received a score of 0 and 95 % had received a score of 0*;

5.7. Notes thatthat, for the financial year 2021,2022, at the time of the publication of the related Annual Management Performance Report and out of EUR 352321 billion in commitments, 12 % of commitments had received a score of 2, 39 % had received a score of 1, 116 % had received a score of 0 and 9573 % had received a score of 0*;

6.8. Notes thatthat, for the financial year 2022,2023, at the time of the publication of the related Annual Management Performance Report and out of EUR 321427 billion in commitments, 2 % of commitments had received a score of 2, 9 % had received a score of 1, 1669 % had received a score of 0 and 7320 % had received a score of 0*;

7.9. Notes thatthat, for the financial year 2023,2024, at the time of the publication of the related Annual Management Performance Report and out of EUR 427195 billion in commitments, 23 % of commitments had received a score of 2, 917 % had received a score of 1, 6965 % had received a score of 0 and 2016 % had received a score of 0*;0*, these scores being rounded up;

8. Notes that for the financial year 2024, at the time of the publication of the related Annual Management Performance Report and out of EUR 195 billion in commitments, 3 % of commitments had received a score of 2, 17 % had received a score of 1, 65 % had received a score of 0 and 16 % had received a score of 0*, these scores being rounded-up;

10. Understands that the decreasing share of commitments with a score of 0* over the years is the result of an improvement in the collection and availability of data, and the Commission’s reporting capacity, allowing its directorates-general to better measure the contribution of their programmes to gender equality at a more granular level;

9. Understands that the decreasing share of commitments with a score of 0* over the years is the result of an improvement in the Commission’s reporting capacity, allowing its directorates-general to better measure the contribution of their programmes to gender equality at a more granular level;

11. Further understands that, due to the limited availability of data and capacity for reporting during the first financial years to which this methodology was applied, there is little added value in comparing numbers from one financial year to another based on the yearly results or in drawing insights from such comparisons;

10. Further understands that due to the limited capacity for reporting during the first financial years to which this methodology was applied, there is little added value in comparing numbers from one financial year to another based on the yearly results or in drawing insights from such comparisons;

12. Notes that the Commission considers that interventions with an attributed score of 2 or 1 can be considered as promoting gender equality and that considering this, interventions worth EUR 37.99 billion promoted gender equality in 2024, whereas that figure stood at EUR 10.76 billion in 2021, EUR 37.83 billion in 2022 and EUR 47.99 billion in 2023;

11. Notes that the Commission considers that interventions with an attributed score of 2 or 1 can be considered as promoting gender equality and that considering this, interventions worth EUR 37.99 billion promoted gender equality in 2024, whereas that figure stood at EUR 10.76 billion in 2021, EUR 37.83 billion in 2022 and EUR 47.99 billion in 2023;

13. Notes that the decrease in absolute value between 2023 and 2024 of interventions considered to promote gender equality is a direct result of the decrease in the total amount of commitments between those two financial years, largely explained by the phase-out of commitments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility;

12. Notes that the decrease in absolute value between 2023 and 2024 of interventions considered to promote gender equality is a direct result of the decrease in the total amount of commitments between those two financial years, largely explained by the phase-out of commitments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility;

14. Notes that in addition to the results provided for each financial year, in the 2024 Annual Management and Performance Report for the EU Budget the Commission published a reassessment of all the previous results based on more recent and comprehensive assessments of its programmes, which resulted in aggregate trends indicating that for interventions over the period 2021 to 2024, 2 % were given a score of 2, 10 % were given a score of 1, 83 % were given a score of 0 and 5 % were given a score of 0*; further notes that, according to the Commission’s reassessment, in total, in the financial years 2021-2024, 12 % of EU budget expenditure contributed to the promotion of gender (with scores of 1 and 2), amounting to EUR 158.4 billion;

13. Notes that in addition to the results provided for each financial year, in the 2024 Annual Management and Performance Report for the EU Budget the Commission published a reassessment of all the previous results based on more recent and comprehensive assessments of its programmes, which resulted in aggregate trends indicating that for interventions over the period 2021 to 2024, 2 % were given a score of 2, 10 % were given a score of 1, 83 % were given a score of 0 and 5 % were given a score of 0*; further notes that according to the Commission’s reassessment, in total, in the financial years 2021-2024, 12 % of EU budget expenditure contributed to the promotion of gender (with scores of 1 and 2), amounting to EUR 158.4 billion;

15. Stresses that not all EU budget programmes perform equally in terms of the integration of gender as a horizontal priority, with some programmes performing much better due to their policy design, such as programmes under Heading 6 ‘Neighbourhood and the World’ where gender has been established as a cross-cutting priority with clear targets and criteria, and specific programmes under other headings, such as Horizon Europe, which, thanks to its requirement to implement gender budgeting, not only fosters gender equality but also positively impacts the practices of the Member States through cross-contamination during the implementation stage at national level;

14. Stresses that not all Union budget programmes perform equally in terms of the integration of gender as a horizontal priority, with some programmes performing much better due to their policy design, such as programmes under Heading 6 ‘Neighbourhood and the World’ where gender has been established as a cross-cutting priority with clear targets and criteria, and specific programmes under other headings such as Horizon Europe, which, thanks to its requirement to implement gender budgeting, not only fosters gender equality but also positively impacts the practices of Member States through cross-contamination during the implementation stage at national level;

16. Regrets that, as the methodology used is a tracking tool designed specifically for operational budgets, it cannot assess the administrative budgets of the EU institutions and bodies adequately;

15. Regrets that as the methodology used is a tracking tool designed specifically for operational budgets, it cannot assess the administrative budgets of the Union institutions and bodies adequately;

17. Notes that the methodology’s scope is limited, as it does not adequately capture secondary or indirect effects of programmes on gender equality, potential negative impacts or the intersectional dimensions necessary for a comprehensive assessment of policy impacts;

16.18. RegretsFurther regrets that the methodology is apotential limitednegative toolimpacts thatof cannotprogrammes properlyon accountgender forequality programmes’are secondarynot effectstaken oninto genderaccount, equality,especially programmes’given potentialthe negativepoor impactscontributions onto gender equality, orequality otherreported societalfor factorsprogrammes neededin forsectors ansuch intersectionalas analysiscompetitiveness, ofdefence policyand impacts;preparedness;

17. Further regrets that the potential negative impacts of programmes on gender equality are not taken into account, especially given the poor contributions to gender equality reported for programmes in sectors such as competitiveness, defence and preparedness;

19. Regrets that the ex post nature of the methodology renders it incapable of structurally influencing the design of policies at an ex ante stage or the collection and allocation of financial resources, which is essential to mainstreaming gender equality properly in EU programmes;

18. Regrets that the ex post nature of the methodology renders it incapable of structurally influencing the design of policies at an ex-ante stage or the collection and allocation of financial resources, which is essential to mainstreaming gender equality properly in Union programmes;

On the broader approach to gender mainstreaming in EU financial programmes

On the broader approach to gender mainstreaming in Union financial programmes

20. Notes that, beyond the gender mainstreaming methodology applied to the EU budget, certain EU programmes have gender equality mainstreamed in their legal bases while others do not;

19. Notes that beyond the gender mainstreaming methodology applied to the Union budget, certain Union programmes have gender equality mainstreamed in their legal bases while others do not;

21. Notes that while the Commission’s dual approach to gender mainstreaming, which is split between tracking the EU budget and establishing the objectives set out in the programmes’ legal bases, is a useful framework, this approach is fragmented and does not impact all programmes to the same extent, therefore reducing the coherence of the EU’s approach to gender equality;

20. Notes that while the Commission’s dual approach to gender mainstreaming, which is split between tracking the Union budget and establishing the objectives set out in the programmes’ legal bases, is a useful framework, this approach is fragmented and does not impact all programmes to the same extent, therefore reducing the coherence of the Union’s approach to gender equality;

Concluding remarks

21.22. SharesTakes note of the Commission’s assessment of the implementation of gender mainstreaming in the EU budget and shares the view that for the remaining years of the 2021-2027 MFF, the priority should be to continue to evaluate programmes at the most granular level possible to better assess their contribution to gender equality and draw lessons on their implementation, making good use of the enhanced gender disaggregatedgender-disaggregated data reporting in place since 2023; stresses the need for enhanced cooperation with all the Members States to harmonise methodologies and avoid any fragmentation in their approaches, and to improve data collection, aggregation and reporting;

22.23. RegretsAcknowledges that despitewhile beingthe amethodology usefuldeveloped toolby tothe reflectCommission onis thea contributionuseful oftool for assessing the UnionEU budgetbudget’s contribution to gender equality, theit methodologyfaces developedlimitations bythat constrain its capacity for a transformative effect; stresses the Commissionimportance facesof structuralensuring limitationsdata thatavailability reduceand itsthe capacityuse toof havespecific, ameasurable, transformativeachievable, effect,relevant aand situationtime-bound which(SMART) cannotperformance beindicators leftin unchanged;this regard;

23.24. Underlines thatthat, as the Union’sEU budget is being affected by multiple crises and shifts in political priorities, it is essential for gender budgeting to be proportionately built into the core of the budgetary cycle of programmes ex ante, including in new priority areasareas, such as competitiveness, defence and preparedness;

24.25. Calls on the Commission to develop a fully fledged and comprehensive approach to gender budgeting and a specific and comprehensive methodology for the UnionEU budget, to be fully operationalised as early as the start of the next programming period with a transformative potential enabled by its capacity to influence the entirety of the budgetary cycle and by tackling the issues identified in this resolution, so as to ensure the sound financial management of UnionEU funds;

25.26. InsistsStresses, that in addition to the MFF, any instrument adopted under Article 122 ofTFEU theshould Treatyalso onapply thegender Functioningmainstreaming ofand thebudgeting Europeanprovisions Unionas shouldappropriate, alsowithout ensurealtering solidprogramme genderobjectives, mainstreamingeligibility andor budgetingaward provisions,criteria whereasalready set in thesector-specific pastlegislation, thiswith hasa notview alwaysto beentracking the case,EU’s whichcontribution mayto leadthe topromotion deficienciesof ingender theequality implementationacross ofall programmesfunding underinstruments indirectin management;a comprehensive and consistent manner;

26.27. Calls on the Commission to conduct systematic ex ante impact assessments that also analyse the specific impacts of UnionEU policies and fiscal policy measures – including tax schemes and State aid programmes – on gender equality, in line with the Better Regulation Guidelines;Guidelines, with the aim of identifying and mitigating gender disparities; stresses that careful consideration should also be given to the social and economic impacts of improved gender equality while taking into account administrative costs to small and medium-sized enterprises;

27.28. Calls on the Commission to ensure that no legislative proposals should be adopted if their ex ante impact assessments demonstrably indicate that they would contribute to a decrease in gender equality within the Union;EU;

28.29. Urges the Commission to establish a ‘gender equality safeguard mechanism’ as a standard part of the Union’sEU’s legislative procedures, which would require the mandatory suspension or revision of any proposal that, through clear indicators or through the analysis of the Court of Auditors, is shown to undermine the Union’sEU’s gender equality strategy and objectives;

29.30. Regrets the imbalance of gender representation among officials and political representationrepresentatives at both UnionEU and Member State levels, which in turn undermines the principle of gender equality in representation;

30.31. Calls on the Commission to assess the feasibility of introducing further gender equality parity measures at management level, as well as thelevel feasibilityand of creating quotas forto ensure that all genders to beare sufficiently involved in policymaking through targeted support schemes;

31.32. Calls on the Commission to ensure that a legally binding minimum share of the EU budget is dedicated to gender equality as a principal objective (corresponding to score 2 in the current methodology);

32. Calls33. onInvites the Commission to considerexplore includingthe apossibility legallyof bindingsetting a quantitative target in the next programming period for a share of the EU budget that is to contributecontributes to promoting gender equality (corresponding either to a score of 2 or 1 in the current methodology), asnoting suchthat similar targets have provedproven useful for the mainstreamingin ofadvancing the Union’sEU’s climate and biodiversity objectives;

33.34. Calls on the Commission and the Council to respect the provisions set out in the revised Financial Regulation during the negotiations on the next generation of programmes, namely that programmes and activities should, where feasible and appropriateappropriate, be implemented in accordance with the relevant sector-specific rules, be implemented taking into account the principle of gender equality and in accordance with an appropriate gender mainstreaming methodology;

34. Calls on35. theConsiders Commission,it alsocrucial, in line with the revised Financial Regulation, to ensure that the next generation of programmes be negotiated onincludes theobjectives basisthat ofallow, proposalswhere whichappropriate, includefor objectivesthe thatcollection areof specific,data measurable,disaggregated attainable,by relevantgender and time-bound,for asthe wellaggregation asof indicatorssuch thatdata areacross relevant,all accepted,relevant credible,programmes; easy,calls robuston andthe basedCommission onto widelyfurther recogniseddevelop scientificand evidence,improve notingits thatmethodology whereto appropriate,track the data collectedEU inbudget’s relationcontribution to such indicators should begender brokenequality, downincluding bythrough genderthe andsystematic collecteduse inof adigital waytools, thatsuch allowsas forartificial aggregationintelligence, ofto suchimprove data acrosscollection, allaggregation relevantand programmes;cross-programme analysis;

35.36. Calls on all relevant actors, including the Council, the Commission, civil society organisations and other relevant partners, to strive to make gender budgeting a reality in the next programming period;

36.37. Calls on the Commission to dedicate atallocate leastan 90increased %share of all EU external actions budget to interventions that contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment and further dedicate 25 % of the EU’s external financing instruments in the upcoming MFF to promoting gender equality as a principal objective; further calls on the Commission to establish a dedicated fund to promote gender equality globally and to ensure that the actions it supports focus on access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, increasing women’s participation in decision-making, supporting local women-led non-governmental organisations,organisations and assisting local women human rights defenders;

37.38. Calls on the Commission to set clear objectives for the next MFF in terms of contributing to narrowing the gender pay and pension gaps, and addressing the issue of women’s poverty, including through improved childcare services;

38. Recognises that the gender pay gap continues to be a significant issue in the EU institutions; urges the Commission to conduct a thorough investigation to identify areas within these institutions where the gap is particularly wide and calls on the Commission to implement measures to ensure that the institutions uphold the principles they advocate and to set the goal of eliminating the gender pay gap within the institutions by 2030;

39. Calls on the Commission to ensure that EU-funded programmes protect and promote women’s rights, with particular attention to access to public healthcare, childcare and sexual and reproductive health and rights;

39. Recognises the persistent gender disparities in traditionally male-dominated sectors, such as nuclear energy, defence, and energy-intensive industries; calls on the Commission to ensure that gender budgeting be applied as a corrective and transformative instrument in order to ensure that resource allocation in these industries actively contributes to gender equality;

40. Calls on EU institutions, in line with the principles of the Directive on Pay Transparency, to analyse and report on their possible gender pay gaps and to take appropriate measures where needed; reiterates its call on the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies to improve gender balance, especially at senior management level; invites the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies to conduct an analysis to identify areas within the HR cycle – from recruitment to access to promotions – where such improvements are most needed, and to explore the possibility of implementing further measures to achieve gender balance as soon as possible;

40. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

41. Recognises the persistent gender disparities in several sectors that are traditionally dominated by a single gender; calls on the Commission to apply gender budgeting to ensure and monitor non-discriminatory conditions to access necessary skills and education programmes for all genders, and to improve gender equality in these specific sectors with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of the industry; calls for particular attention to women entrepreneurs, especially in small and medium sized enterprises and start-ups, including through specific monitoring within programmes, such as InvestEU and Horizon Europe; calls for stronger monitoring and reporting mechanisms to ensure funds genuinely benefit women and marginalised groups;

42. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

To ensure that the EU fulfils its treaty obligation of promoting gender equality, a fully-fledged and comprehensive gender budgeting methodology should be developed for the post-2027 MFF. This methodology should be integrated throughout the entire budget cycle from planning to evaluation, with clear objectives and using gender-disaggregated data, whenever possible, as required by the 2024 Financial Regulation. The new methodology should account for the secondary effects and any potential negative impacts that the EU budget might have on gender equality. Other, broader societal factors should also be taken into account in the methodology to facilitate an intersectional and gender-sensitive analysis of the impact of the EU budget. Furthermore, to ensure that the EU dedicates an appropriate amount of resources to achieving progress towards gender equality, EU-level spending targets in relation to the promotion of gender equality should be set.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteur declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not include in her report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

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