What changed

The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:

A. whereas gender equality and the elimination of inequalities are core values of the European Union as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union; whereas equality between men and women is one of the founding values of the Union and the Union is committed to promote gender equality in all its activities as enshrined in Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)(TFEU), thereby establishing the principle of gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting, and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

B. whereas the Union has room for improvement in its approach to promoting equality through its policies, legislation and funding mechanisms;

B. whereas the European Commission reinforced its commitment in favour of a Union of Equality, manifested in the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, which launches a Strategy for Gender Equality 2020- 2025 in compliance with article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU);

1. Expresses serious concern over the lack of focus on protecting women and girls from violence in the Union budget; regrets the absence of disaggregated data on gender-based violence and urges mandatory gender impact assessments specifically aimed at protection against violence to enable monitoring of the effectiveness of the measures in relevant legislative acts;

C. whereas the Digital education action plan 2021-2027 will specifically seek to increase the inclusion of women in digital and STEM study fields and careers, including as entrepreneurs; whereas the future funding mechanisms should facilitate this increased inclusion of women and girls;

2. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape with common minimum sanctions in national laws;

D. whereas according to the European Crime Prevention Network, the Daphne programme objectives were and remain relevant to the needs at their origin i.e. protecting children, young people and women from violence and preventing it;

3. Is concerned about the growing financial risks due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on gender equality policies; highlights the need to prioritise policies that protect children, women and families;

E. whereas the Union has room for improvement in its approach to promoting equality through its policies, legislation, and funding mechanisms; whereas the European Parliament has repeatedly called on the Commission to promote and implement the use of gender mainstreaming, including gender budgeting and gender impact assessments, across all Union policies;

4. Supports the United Nations’ Spotlight Initiative’s goal of ending violence against women and girls and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, such as victims of harmful practices like female genital mutilation or child marriage; urges the Commission to stop funding movements in and outside the Union that contribute to the oppression of women in all forms;

F. whereas gender equality in the Union has been negatively impacted by the consequences of backlashes against gender equality and women’s rights, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in several Member States; whereas the protection and promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are essential to achieving full gender equality and guaranteeing women's autonomy over their own bodies; whereas anti-gender movements and anti-abortion movements in Europe are becoming more vocal and influential; whereas these movements are well funded and well organised, and are likely to put more pressure on women’s rights in the future; whereas other ongoing crises, such as the climate crisis, armed conflicts and the rising cost of living also disproportionately impact women; whereas these factors further deepen inequalities and hinder progress toward gender equality;

5. Calls for a stable financing framework to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the Daphne Programme to support the protection of women and children against violence.

G whereas the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union not only enshrines gender equality but also protects human dignity and prohibits all forms of discrimination, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity;

1. Expresses serious concern over the lack of focus on protecting women and girls from any form of violence in the Union budget; regrets the absence of disaggregated data on gender-based violence and urges the proper and prompt implementation of Art 44 of the directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence; asks the Commission and the Member States to explore the feasibility of enlarging and improving the data collected, particularly to prevent repeat or predictable offences, as soon as possible and in any case in any new legislation and reviews; urges mandatory gender impact assessments aimed at protection against violence to enable monitoring of the effectiveness of the measures in relevant legislative acts;

2. Stresses that a gender equality perspective should be integrated into and ensured across all policy areas, particularly in light of the multiple gendered impacts of various ongoing climate, energy, and social crises, with a focus on SRHR and the backlash against gender equality and women’s rights in several Member States and worldwide; reiterates therefore its call for the implementation of gender budgeting at all stages of the budgetary process;

3. Highlights that due to the persecution that LGTBIQA+ people are suffering it is necessary to allocate sufficient budget to measures to combat LGTBIQA+phobia, such as telephone lines for counselling and attention;

4. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in the EU, as well with the use of information campaigns; recalls that one in three women in the EU experience gender based violence during their lifetime, including physical, sexual and psychological violence or threats of violence; stresses the need to reiterate that rape remains one of the most widespread human rights violations and to urgently establish a common definition of rape on the basis of lack of consent at European level with common minimum sanctions in national laws; reiterates that all non-consensual sex must be classified as rape in every EU Member State;

5. Reiterates that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are fundamental human rights, and their realisation is a fundamental aspect of human dignity and a prerequisite for achieving gender equality; calls for a strong European effort to protect our fundamental values such as equal rights to bodily autonomy and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights including safe and legal abortion; stresses the need to reinforce budgetary allocations that support universal respect for and access to SRHR, including access to free, safe and legal abortion and other essential reproductive health services;

6. Welcomes the development and implementation of the gender budgeting methodology; reiterates the need to further develop and improve its application; calls for the enhanced collection, reporting and evaluation of comparable gender-disaggregated data in the context of all relevant EU policies; urges the Commission to treat this as a priority;

7. Is concerned about the growing financial risks due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on women; recognizes the vulnerable position of women in context of war and in conflict zones and to prioritise policies that protect children, women and families especially in providing aid in conflict situations and access to healthcare services including emergency contraception, testing for sexually transmitted infections, post-exposure prophylaxis treatment and access to safe and legal abortion care; condemns conflict-related gender-based violence, including sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war; calls for protecting and supporting women and including the prevention of trafficking and sexual exploitation especially in providing aid in conflict situations and access to healthcare services including access to safe and legal abortion;

8. Recalls that labour market participation is significantly lower among women and men with disabilities compared to those without; calls for appropriate measures to address this issue;

9. Supports the United Nations’ Spotlight Initiative’s goal of ending violence against women and girls and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, such as victims of harmful practices like female genital mutilation or child marriage and emphasizes the need for these measures to include the LBTIQA+ women; urges the Commission to stop funding movements in and outside the Union that contribute to the oppression of women in all forms, including campaigning against fundamental rights, including women’s rights and SRHR; urges the Commission and Member States to strengthen awareness-raising campaigns against gender-based violence and discrimination, explicitly including educational efforts to combat LGBTIQA+phobia and to promote sexual and reproductive rights; calls for comprehensive and age appropriate sexuality and relationships education programs that promote gender equality, consent, and respect for diversity in all Member States;

10. Calls for the EU budget to better provide for women who, at present, have limited opportunities for exchanges with others and competence development, for example, through mentoring programmes or professional networks from all sectors of the European economy;

11. Recalls that in line with Article 11.2 TEU, EU institutions must maintain an open, transparent and structured dialogue with civil society organisations and representative associations and stresses in particular in this regard that success to structural funding is a prerequisite to ensure public participation and without which it would not be possible for citizens to have their voice channelled at the EU level through their representative associations, sustain a regular dialogue with EU institutions contributing to democratic participation in policy making, an open and wide-ranging dialogue, ensuring that the diversity of views and concerns are taken into account with equal access for public interest as compared to commercial interest, exercise a monitoring role on the implementation of EU policies and legislation, including the use of EU funds or act as checks and balances to the rule of law; recalls the commitment of the Commission in its political guidelines to step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights, which entails that while the Commission should not mandate NGOs to pursue certain activities or support specific positions or policies, it remains fundamental that civil society organisations, through EU funding can engage in an “open, transparent and structured dialogue with EU institutions” as enshrined in article 11 TEU through activities such as advocacy activities, demonstrations, or judicial actions and these should remain eligible in the relevant funding programs and have sufficient dedicated funding available;

12. Stresses the need to ensure that all EU funds reach their intended recipients, and to ensure that no EU funding is allocated or linked to any cause or form of terrorism, which would have catastrophic consequences for women and girls;

13. Calls for a stable financing framework to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the Daphne Programme to support the protection of women and children against violence; commends the efficiency of the Daphne programme such as the impressive outputs and impacts, compared to the modest resources allocated; stresses the importance of dedicating a specific budget line for the Daphne Initiative to increase visibility, transparency, and accountability in fund distribution, particularly through measures aimed at combating all forms and levels of gender-based violence against women and girls and domestic violence and to properly support victims; recognises that Daphne’s aim is to protect children, young people and women from all kinds of violence and trafficking, and to attain a high level of health protection, well-being and social cohesion; to that end, urges the EU to consider the programme a priority within the EU budget;

14. Requests the creation of a specific program within the Daphne funding framework to address violence against LGBTIQA+ women, including the provision of safe shelters, access to support services tailored to their needs, and the protection of their sexual and reproductive health rights.

ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

The Chair in her capacity as rapporteur for the opinion declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

INFORMATION ON ADOPTION BY COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

Date adopted

18.2.2025

Result of final vote

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–:

0:

27

10

1

Members present for the final vote

Abir Al-Sahlani, Mireia Borrás Pabón, Irmhild Boßdorf, Mélissa Camara, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Valérie Devaux, Elisabeth Dieringer, Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Heléne Fritzon, Lina Gálvez, Alexandra Geese, Chiara Gemma, Assita Kanko, Arba Kokalari, Ewa Kopacz, Elena Kountoura, Sebastian Kruis, Judita Laššáková, Eleonora Meleti, Irene Montero, Carolina Morace, Maria Noichl, Mirosława Nykiel, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Giusi Princi, Emma Rafowicz, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Benedetta Scuderi, Laurence Trochu, Marko Vešligaj, Maria Walsh, Lucia Yar

Substitutes present for the final vote

Elena Donazzan, Loucas Fourlas, Elisabeth Grossmann, Jana Toom

Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote

Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Nikos Papandreou

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION

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