Brussels, 18 February 2025
It is a pleasure to be with you to exchange views on the Commission’s priorities with regard to the work of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. I would like to thank the Honourable Members, and this Committee, for your engagement. You have played a key role in promoting gender equality and making progress during the last Commission mandate.
Your achievements, together with the Council, have been impressive:
- 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 two Directives strengthening equality bodies.
Your efforts helped to secure these ground-breaking achievements for women’s rights and gender equality in the EU. The Parliament also supported the Commission’s European Care Strategy and two Council Recommendations on strengthening early childhood education and care and long-term care.
The EU-wide survey on gender-based violence published at the end of last year was also a key deliverable of the last mandate. It once again highlighted the widespread nature of violence against women. These important actions — along with others — will be covered in this year’s upcoming annual report on gender equality, to be published ahead of International Women’s Day.
The European Union has long been a global leader in gender equality and women’s rights. We have prioritised these values in our Member States and abroad. This must continue. These commitments are at the heart of our European way of life. We must defend them and make them a reality for all women and girls.
Gender equality is a moral duty, but it is also an economic imperative. More gender equality can decrease labour and skill shortages, reduce social costs, and boost our economies. EIGE estimates that, by 2050, improving gender equality would lead to an increase in EU GDP per capita between €1.95 and €3.15 trillion.
Gender equality also strengthens our democracies. Democracies that ensure women’s equal and meaningful participation are more stable and resilient.
In two weeks, we will mark International Women’s Day. On this occasion, the Commission will adopt an important policy initiative – the Roadmap for Women’s Rights. This Roadmap will set out a long-term vision with key principles and policy goals. It will reaffirm the EU’s political commitment to driving forward gender equality and progress on women’s rights. I have already discussed the Roadmap with the political groups earlier this month, and I am pleased that you share our goal of building a more gender-equal Europe and that you are ready to work with the Commission to make it a reality.
Our goal is to make this Roadmap a guiding compass on women’s rights — independent from political turbulence. We will call on other institutions to join us.
The Roadmap will put women’s rights and the gender perspective at the core of our EU policies and actions. It will highlight that gender equality is not only about women — it is also about men. It will also help to ensure that our public policies are not gender blind, but rather promote gender mainstreaming.
The rights and principles in the Roadmap would largely reaffirm those already recognised at EU level. But they will also focus on today’s new challenges — in society, economies, and technology, including the risks and opportunities of digital technologies.
But let me be clear: the Roadmap will not set out concrete policy initiatives. Rather, it will serve as a basis for developing specific legal and policy initiatives and measures in the upcoming Gender Equality Strategy post-2025. I will present this Strategy in March next year. It will also inspire gender-sensitive policies in other Commission initiatives.
The Roadmap will focus on the following women’s rights principles:
- freedom from gender-based violence
- highest standards of health
- equal pay and economic empowerment
- gender equality in care and domestic work
- safe workspaces and adequate working conditions
- quality education
- equal political participation and representation
- safe and sustainable living environment
- and institutional mechanisms for women’s rights: gender mainstreaming, financing and institutional infrastructures for gender equality.
This Roadmap will help to shape the mandate of this Commission. I have already spoken with some of your Members about this, but I encourage you to share your ideas and proposals. We are consulting widely, reaching out to civil society, social partners, international organisations and Member States.
I also plan to deliver this year on two other important initiatives in our current Gender Equality Strategy. First, the Recommendation on Harmful Practices against Women and Girls, which will address practices like female genital mutilation and forced and early marriage.
Second, I intend to work for more cooperation between online platforms to tackle gender-based cyber violence. Online violence targeting women is a poison. It is everywhere, often with tragic consequences. This is unacceptable.
Bullying, harassment and abuse on social media have far-reaching effects on the lives of women and girls. It is also a barrier to women’s participation in public life. The Commission has already taken action against the spread of illegal speech online — we have adopted the updated Code of Conduct on countering hate speech online, which was integrated into our Digital Services Act in January.
Your support for gender equality is indispensable. I now look forward to our frank, open, and comprehensive dialogue on delivering this Roadmap for Women’s Rights.
Source – EU Commission