Gender Equality Strategy 2025

5.11.2025 A10-0210/1

Amendment 1

Christine Anderson, Irmhild Boßdorf

on behalf of the ESN Group

Report A10-0210/2025

Marko Vešligaj

Gender Equality Strategy 2025

(2024/2125(INI))

Motion for a resolution (Rule 188(3) of the Rules of Procedure) replacing non-legislative motion for a resolution A10-0210/2025

European Parliament resolution on the Gender Equality Strategy 2025

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 2, 3 and 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which affirm respect for human dignity, equality and human rights, and to Article 5 TEU on the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,

– having regard to Articles 10, 11, 20, 21 and 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

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

A. whereas equality before the law and the equal dignity of men and women are fundamental principles of the constitutional traditions of the Member States;

B. whereas the right to equal treatment under the law is essential to liberty and justice and cannot be replaced by social engineering or outcomes imposed through administrative action;

C. whereas men and women are biologically distinct yet complementary and equal in worth, and their differences make possible the formation of families and contribute to the richness and stability of society;

D. whereas on average women in the Union live more than five years longer than men; whereas such differences in life expectancy reflect a mix of individual choices, biological factors that differ between men and women, and varying levels of occupational risk, with men accounting for around two thirds of non-fatal and over 95 % of fatal workplace accidents;

E. whereas the family, founded on the equal partnership of men and women, is the natural and basic unit of society and deserves protection by society and the state; whereas increasing bureaucratic intervention risks undermining the freedom and stability of Europe’s families;

F. whereas the Union must respect the cultural, moral and constitutional identities of its Member States in accordance with Article 4(2) TEU;

G. whereas extending the concept of gender to include subjective identity and expression creates legal uncertainty and weakens the protection originally designed for women;

H. whereas calls for ‘gender mainstreaming’ in all EU policies and budgets expand the Union’s competences beyond the Treaties and risk undermining the principle of subsidiarity;

I. whereas equality cannot be decreed into existence, but rather resides in freedom and responsibility;

J. whereas several EU bodies operate with overlapping mandates in the fields of equality and fundamental rights, leading to duplication of tasks and expenditure, and they often act in areas that fall outside the Union’s conferred competences;

1. Reaffirms that equality before the law is the only legitimate and sustainable foundation for a free and just society;

2. Rejects approaches to so called ‘gender equality’ that impose uniformity of outcomes or disregard biological differences between men and women;

3. Opposes any attempt to establish new EU agencies or mechanisms on gender policy, which would constitute an unwarranted expansion of EU competences; calls for the closure of both the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), as any of their meaningful work could be carried out by the Member States rather than by remote EU agencies;

4. Stresses that questions of family, education and reproductive ethics fall under the moral and constitutional identity of the Member States and are not within the jurisdiction of the EU;

5. Urges the Commission to refrain from presenting further ‘Gender Equality Strategies’ and instead to ensure the faithful implementation of existing rights under the Treaties; stresses that policies promoting equality must respect subsidiarity and proportionality and remain within the competences conferred upon the Union;

6. Calls for EU and national health and employment policies to be guided by evidence rather than ideology, taking into account that biological factors differ between men and women; stresses that both biology and personal responsibility shape outcomes; urges the Commission and the Member States to address occupational risk in high-hazard sectors and to protect all workers – particularly those disproportionately affected by accidents – through practical, proportionate measures that respect individual liberty;

7. Reiterates that the principle of merit and individual responsibility must prevail over statistical parity or enforced quotas, and that a society that needs quotas to prove equality has already lost sight of merit;

8. Reaffirms that genuine equality resides in freedom and responsibility; underlines that it cannot be imposed by decree but is realised where citizens are free to act, compete and cooperate without coercion or favour; stresses that the EU should recognise reality, not rewrite it;

9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote policies that support the reconciliation of work and family life not through centralised quotas or targets, but rather through flexibility, parental choice and respect for European traditions and national priorities;

10. Encourages the Member States to invest in educational initiatives that foster respect between men and women, especially in the case of certain religious groups and newcomers to the EU who still believe that women do not have the same rights as men, while avoiding political indoctrination;

11. Notes with concern that certain feminist movements have been misguided into promoting the wearing of the hijab, a symbol of oppression and submission for millions of women around the world;

12. Reaffirms that a just society protects freedom of speech and academic inquiry, including the right to question political ideologies based on gender without fear of censorship or reprisal; notes with concern that programmes designed to eliminate gender stereotypes taught to children in schools are too often vehicles for spreading woke ideology, i.e. ideological content not grounded in reality;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

Or. en