By Christa Schweng, EESC Employers’ Group member, former EESC president

At a time of demographic decline, skills shortages and rapid economic transformation, Europe cannot afford to underuse its human capital. Women’s full participation in the economy and in the labour market contributes significantly to productivity, innovation and long‑term growth. This is why promoting gender equality is not a social add‑on, but a core economic concern.

Europe has made progress on gender equality, but the picture remains uneven. Economic participation still lags behind educational parity, and women remain under‑represented as entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. Women account for only a minority of self‑employed people and an even smaller share of company founders and top decision‑makers. 

This represents a missed economic opportunity as many obstacles remain, one of which is access to finance: too many viable women‑led projects still struggle to obtain credit or investment, despite their economic potential. We need practical solutions to improve women’s access to financing, foster entrepreneurship and strengthen women’s role across the business ecosystem – as founders, managers and investors. Another obstacle is care for children or older family members, which is still mainly seen as a woman’s duty. Sharing care work more equally between women and men and providing public care-facilities will support women’s economic participation. 

Education, skills and career choices also matter. Gender gaps often emerge early, driven by stereotypes and lower numbers of women in technical and future‑oriented sectors. Encouraging girls and women to pursue diverse educational and professional paths, and supporting lifelong learning and access to training, is essential both to close these gaps and to meet labour market needs. At the same time, gender equality policies must be compatible with business reality. Measures should be effective, proportionate and workable for companies of all sizes, especially SMEs. 

By combining economic ambition with practical solutions, we will continue to support women’s empowerment as a strategic investment in Europe’s competitiveness, prosperity and resilience.

By Barbara Helfferich

Online harassment increasingly determines who participates in public life. Ensuring women can engage safely in democratic debate is not merely a question of equality – it is fundamental to democratic resilience.

A few weeks into her campaign for local office, a young European candidate posted a video outlining her priorities: better childcare, safer public transportation and support for local businesses. Within hours, the comments section was filled with insults about her appearance and questions about whether women should be in politics at all. The attacks quickly turned into threats. Not one comment addressed her policies.

This scenario has become alarmingly common. Across Europe, women entering the public arena – as candidates, journalists, activists, or officials – face online attacks that differ markedly in both tone and intensity from criticism directed at men. While social media has democratised political engagement, it has also weaponised misogyny, enabling coordinated harassment campaigns that specifically target women in public life.

The impact extends well beyond individual harm. With women already underrepresented in European political decision-making, prospective candidates witnessing such hostility often decide that the personal costs outweigh the benefits. Research confirms that digital harassment acts as a structural barrier, systematically discouraging women from entering or staying in politics.

Election campaigns particularly expose this dynamic. Attacks on women candidates routinely bypass policy discussions to focus on appearance, private lives, or family roles – reinforcing outdated stereotypes that frame politics as inherently male territory. The goal extends beyond political opposition: it seeks to delegitimize women’s very presence in public life.

Social media’s algorithmic design worsens the problem. Content that provokes outrage spreads faster and wider, giving abusive messages more visibility and normalising hostility toward women in politics. This creates a vicious cycle where harassment becomes not only common but also socially accepted.

For democratic societies, this represents a fundamental threat. When half the population faces disproportionate risks for participating in public debate, democratic representation suffers. Combating online violence against women thus becomes essential to protecting democracy itself.

The European Economic and Social Committee occupies a unique position to address this challenge. As the bridge between citizens and EU decision-makers, bringing together employers, workers and civil society organisations, the Committee can help ensure that digital governance, media regulation and gender equality are treated as interconnected elements of Europe’s democratic infrastructure.

Concrete solutions are emerging. Europe must strengthen platform accountability and ensure regulatory frameworks explicitly address gender-based online violence. Political parties and institutions need to provide comprehensive support for women candidates – including digital security training and rapid-response mechanisms for coordinated attacks. Media organisations and public institutions must actively highlight women’s leadership and policy contributions, shifting focus from personal attacks to substantive debate.

Europe has made significant progress in gender equality, but political representation is still uneven. Ensuring women can participate in public discourse without facing systematic intimidation goes beyond fairness – it is vital for creating resilient, inclusive democracies that accurately reflect all citizens.

The choice is clear: either we accept online harassment as the price of women’s political participation, or we recognise it as an attack on democracy itself and act accordingly.

Barbara Helfferich is a political scientist and gender equality expert focusing on democratic participation, inclusive governance and combating anti-gender movements across Europe. As co-founder and vice president of Gender Five Plus, a feminist think tank based in Brussels, she works to promote gender equality in European policymaking. In 2024, she received the International European Leadership Award for her work in advancing women’s rights and democratic values.

To mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) placed a strong focus on the war’s lasting and complex impact on children and young people. The EESC calls for coordinated European action, with strong involvement from civil society and international partners, to help young Ukrainians recover and look to the future with hope.

The debate on The lasting scars of Russia’s war against Ukraine – its devastating toll on children and youth aimed to raise awareness of the impact of the prolonged war on children and young people, and to trigger civil dialogue and actionable responses. 

Reaffirming the Committee’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, Séamus Boland, EESC President, urged all players to work together to ensure that this generation can heal, rebuild and look towards a secure and hopeful future.

Figures speak louder than words. As the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska (speaking remotely) underlined, 684 children have been killed and more than 2 000 wounded over the last four years. According to UNICEF, 73% of children feel unsafe, and 54% report feelings of sadness. Around 43% of children experience severe psychological distress, including anxiety, fear and difficulties with concentration. 

The Olena Zelenska Foundation puts children and young people at the heart of its work. The Foundation, in collaboration with UNICEF and other organisations, is developing a system for psychological support and rehabilitation. ‘Ukraine is now a hub of innovative social and humanitarian projects and ideas. And every initiative can and should be supported’ said Ms Zelenska.

During the debate, the participants heard the testimony of Yaryna Bohun, a Ukrainian student and of Olha Fozekosh, a Ukrainian teacher in Belgium, who shared the impact of the war on children who fled Ukraine: ‘Although these children may appear calm, the scars are evident. Every day I witness what war does to their hearts’, said Ms Fozekosh. 

The situation is even more severe for the almost 20 000 children who have been abducted by Russia. On this subject, Baiba Tavaresa, Head of the European External Action Service’s Ukraine Division, underscored that the return of Ukrainian children remained a top priority for the EU. Ms Tavaresa announced that the EU, together with Ukraine and Canada, is to host an International Summit on the Return of Ukrainian Children in the spring. 

The speakers from International and Ukrainian organisations stressed during the plenary debate that raising awareness would not be enough. They drew attention to the fate of 1.6 million Ukrainian children living in territories occupied by Russia, who have been subjected to forced ‘Russification’ indoctrination and militarisation. 

The debate concluded with a strong call for European civil society organisations to contribute funding and initiatives to help Ukrainian civil society in its effort to support its children and young people. (at)

The 2026 European Semester is a turning point. If the EU wants to be able to respond to new global challenges, it needs to completely redefine its economic strategy and overturn its chronic lack of investment, which undermines productivity, innovation and its strategic sovereignty.

With its opinion 2026 European Semester – Autumn Package, drawn up by Luca Jahier and adopted at the February plenary session, the EESC takes a firm stand and is ready to fully support a European Semester which is worthy of common ambitions.

‘Europe cannot compete, innovate or protect its citizens without more investment’, said Mr Jahier, rapporteur for the EESC opinion. ‘Environmental, technological and demographic challenges are all interconnected and require a comprehensive and robust response’.

In the EESC’s view, the EU must offer a united response to the multiple challenges that it is currently facing, such as geopolitical instability, the climate crisis, the technological and digital gap and the demographic challenge.

More specifically, the Union must be ambitious and focus on competitiveness, resilience and social and territorial cohesion, all feeding into each other and working towards European sovereign sustainability.

To this end, in order to improve the 2026 European Semester Autumn Package, the Committee puts forward a set of 18 solid recommendations which can be summed up in five key political priorities: large-scale investments, integrated capital markets, strengthened economic and social governance, human capital as strategic infrastructure, and European cooperation on defence. (mp)

A secure and competitive electricity supply is the vital foundation that the EU needs to put in place as it seeks to protect its citizens and successfully revitalise its industry.

That is the firm conviction underpinning the opinion drawn up by Christophe Béguinet on Energy connectivity, electricity grids, which was adopted at the EESC’s February plenary session.

In the exploratory opinion, which was requested by the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union to re-examine the EU’s ambitions for developing cross-border energy connectivity, the Committee assesses the future of the EU’s energy system and more specifically its electricity infrastructure. 

The opinion also identifies steps that need to be taken to make the energy system more efficient and solidarity-based for the benefit of all consumers – both individuals and businesses.

‘Our energy system is a true cornerstone of European integration and securing its future demands an immediate common European response,’ said Mr Béguinet. ‘Our ambition and our mission are clear: we want to guarantee consumers access to quality, low-carbon, and above all affordable, electricity.’

To achieve these results, the Committee has put forward a number of recommendations, structured around three main pillars: a forward-looking mindset, a comprehensive approach and bolstering the security of the electricity grid. (mp)

The EESC continues to shine a spotlight on the housing crisis and is ready to offer fresh recommendations on what can now be defined as a genuine emergency specifically impacting young people and the most vulnerable in our societies.

‘Housing is first and foremost a social issue,’ said EESC President Séamus Boland, speaking at the EESC's February plenary session, ‘but it is no longer only that. It is an economic issue. A demographic issue. A competitiveness issue. This is why tackling the housing crisis is one of the key priorities of my term of office.’ Mr Boland also pointed out that in some Member States house prices and rents had gone up by more than 100% and that young Europeans were having to postpone becoming independent.

In his view, ‘the reality is unfortunately harsh: Europe is facing a housing emergency. An estimated 1.28 million people in Europe live on the street, in shelters or in temporary accommodation. In Brussels alone – the capital that should embody our collective European project – nearly 10 000 people are experiencing homelessness’.

During the plenary debate, Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, thanked the EESC for its work and for adopting the opinion entitled For a European Affordable Housing Plan – the contribution of civil society in September 2025, ‘which was instrumental in helping us to shape our final plan’. He added: ‘Now that we have our final plan, we must put it into action. We must harness all of the political tools and proposals so that we can support Member States, regions and local authorities to deliver more affordable, sustainable and quality housing’.

Mr Jørgensen listed the Commission’s next steps:

• delivering the Affordable Housing Act as soon as possible;
• continuing to work on a housing simplification package;
• focusing on financing – another cornerstone of the plan – and launching the pan-European Investment Platform later this year;
• stepping up work with Member States to assist young people and students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds; and
• providing an extra political push and enabling closer high-level cooperation by launching a housing alliance and organising a housing summit this year.

The EESC will put forward specific recommendations at its March plenary session when it adopts the opinion entitled Tackling housing scarcity through affordable, sustainable and family-oriented housing policies, which is currently being drafted by rapporteur Thomas Kattnig. (mp)

The External Relations Section (REX) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on 23 February to address the alarming deterioration of trade union freedoms in Belarus. Despite sustained international pressure and the appointment of an International Labour Organization (ILO) special envoy in June 2025, the Belarusian authorities continue to refuse any dialogue aimed at restoring compliance with fundamental labour standards. Around twenty trade unionists remain imprisoned.

The debate brought together representatives from EU institutions and the ILO Special Envoy for Belarus, Lelio Bentes Corrêa. A central moment of the discussion was the personal account from Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, who was recently released from prison and forcibly deported to the EU. 

Describing the system of governance in Belarus as 'extremely cruel and vindictive', Mr Yarashuk said that even after his release he continues to cope with the consequences of deportation and confiscation of documentation. He warned that Belarus has become 'one of the ten most dangerous countries for workers and trade unionists', noting that the authorities had effectively eliminated the remaining trade union freedoms in 2022 through prison sentences and repression.

REX section president Stefano Palmieri underlined: 'Despite several releases of political opponents, the situation remains difficult. Beyond the detention of people there are also new forms of repression such as the removal of children from the families of targeted trade unionists.' 

The ILO Special Envoy Lelio Bentes Corrêa explained that his mandate included engaging with the authorities to secure the release of detained trade unionists and restore recognition of the legal standing of independent trade unions. 'However, the Belarusian authorities have so far refused to recognise my mandate or enter into dialogue. To date, around twenty trade unionists remain imprisoned, while their families continue to face intimidation and pressure', said Mr Corrêa.

The EESC has steadily increased its engagement with Belarusian civil society in exile and with political prisoners since the fraudulent presidential election of August 2020. This has included statements, opinions drafted in cooperation with Belarusian experts, debates, and an online exhibition. The EESC's solidarity efforts gained renewed momentum in June 2025 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Belarusian democratic forces.

Participants concluded that the objectives remain clear: to secure the release of all imprisoned trade unionists, restore freedom of association, and re-establish independent trade unions in Belarus. (at)