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DRAFT REPORT (2025/2215(INI))

On gender mainstreaming in the European Parliament – annual report 2025

FEMM-PR-792179

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality · Rapporteur: Alice Kuhnke, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová

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This draft report on gender mainstreaming in the European Parliament reviews representation, working procedures, parliamentary activities, budgeting and other EU institutions, and calls for concrete reforms. It regrets that the share of female Members of Parliament (MEPs) fell from 39.7 % to 38.5 % and that female committee chairs fell from 55 % to 42.3 %. It calls for standardised gender impact assessments, reinstated gender mainstreaming amendments, gender-responsive budgeting and a gender impact assessment for each Commission legislative proposal. It asks the Commission to strengthen equality coordinators and regrets weak gender mainstreaming and the absence of a dedicated Council configuration on gender equality. It calls for an audit mapping gender equality and gender mainstreaming and for stronger structured cooperation between EU institutions.

Committee position. The co-rapporteurs propose that Parliament call for concrete reforms: mandatory implementation of committees' gender action plans, reinstated gender mainstreaming amendments, standardised gender impact assessments, stronger gender budgeting, better gender balance and longer paternity leave.

Key points

  1. Reaffirms commitment to gender mainstreaming across all EU policies, budgets and administrative levels amid a growing backlash.
  2. Welcomes Parliament's gender action plan (GAP) and its renewed roadmap, and stresses making the GAP public with clear timelines and responsibilities.
  3. Regrets the fall in female MEPs from 39.7 % to 38.5 %, notes Parliament still leads the 32.3 % national parliament average, and calls for zipped lists in EU electoral law.
  4. Stresses equal access to influence and resources, welcomes Rules 216 and 219 on fair gender representation, and regrets five committees requested a derogation from Rule 219.
  5. Welcomes the gender-balanced Bureau but regrets the fall in female chairs to 42.3 % and that women hold only six of 17 directorate-general posts.
  6. Welcomes mandatory anti-harassment training, stresses underreporting, and calls for urgent action on gender-based violence, online sexism and hate speech.
  7. Welcomes proxy voting for maternity leave and calls for it to be extended to paternity leave.
  8. Calls for a standardised gender impact assessment methodology and regrets that only 24 % of FEMM amendments reached lead committee reports and 16 % plenary texts.
  9. Reaffirms the FEMM Committee's role, regrets committees' gender action plans lack implementation, and urges the Commission to assess gender impacts of each proposal.
  10. Calls for gender-responsive budgeting and expenditure tracking, and for gender mainstreaming in the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework.
  11. Regrets weak Commission gender mainstreaming, that only 7 % of its impact assessments included gender impacts, and the absence of a dedicated Council configuration.
  12. Reiterates the call for an audit mapping gender equality and gender mainstreaming, and for structured interinstitutional cooperation against the backlash.

Who is affected

  • Members of the European Parliament (MEPs): representation, committee seats, harassment training and leave voting rules.
  • Parliament's administration: management gender balance targets and gender budgeting in its procedures.
  • The European Commission: gender impact assessments, equality coordinators and gender tracking methodology.
  • The Council: absence of a dedicated gender equality configuration and delays in negotiations.
  • Member States and political parties: electoral list rules and gender balance.

Figures and deadlines

  • 60.2 % of Parliament staff are women, but only 35.3 % of Directors-General.
  • Female MEPs decreased from 39.7 % to 38.5 %.
  • National parliaments of the member states average 32.3 % female representation.
  • Seven female Vice-Presidents out of 14 and two female Quaestors out of five.
  • Female chairs decreased from 55 % to 42.3 % in 2026.
  • Women account for 51.7 % of Directors and 48.3 % of Heads of Unit; six out of 17 directorate-general posts.
  • Only 24 % of FEMM amendments were incorporated into lead committee reports and 16 % into plenary texts.
  • Only 7 % of the Commission's impact assessments included gender impacts in the previous term.

Legal basis: Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty on European Union; Articles 8 and 10 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.