Dzimumu līdztiesība

In this opinion, the EESC is presenting several recommendations to mitigate the effects of the cost-of -living crisis. These include:

• investment in people and the economy, fair taxation, quality and affordable public services and  targeted support for the most vulnerable;
• short- and long-term industrial policy and efforts to boost competitiveness;
• stronger use of social dialogue, collective bargaining, and civil dialogue to address labour market challenges;
• wage and minimum wage increase as way of protection;
• more investments in  education as a powerful preventive tool against exclusion, marginalisation, and inequality

The EESC:

• reaffirms its unwavering commitment to gender equality and women’s rights as fundamental pillars of democracy, social justice and inclusive growth and stands firmly alongside all the players striving to advance equality for all women and girls, in all their diversity;

• endorses the Declaration of principles for a gender-equal society, which aligns closely with the values and priorities repeatedly expressed in EESC opinions;

• recognises that the implementation of these principles requires coordinated and sustained action to which it is committed;

• stands ready to contribute actively to the realisation of this roadmap and to work with the European institutions and Member States, to transform these principles into practice. 

The opinion expresses the views of the EU organized civil society on the priorities to the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW69). It calls for an increased pace of progress on gender equality, be more vocal about the shrinking space for civil society and block any backlash against women’s rights. Some challenges to be addressed include attracting more women to politics, addressing violence against women, ensuring a gender-equal just transition, closing the gender digital gap and the unpaid care responsibilities and ensuring women stay in the labour market.

This own-initiative opinion stresses that any kind of violence against women is a violation of women’s human rights. The EESC believes Directive 2024/1385/EU on combating violence against women and domestic violence should address all forms of violence against women and calls for sexual violence and rape to be included as a form of violence and criminalised based on the absence of consent. Highlights that any kind of violence against women is a significant public and clinical health concern, while stressing the multiple and intersectional discrimination suffered by women with disabilities.

This opinion underlines that by creating a fertile ground for women entrepreneurship and the adequate financial and legislative instruments, such as gender budgeting, we can create an inclusive financial ecosystem in the EU and Member States and advance faster towards gender equality. It suggests that diversity of teams with a specific focus on women should be a criterion for receiving public funding. This Opinion also calls for an ambitious vision from the European Commission and the European institutions on gender budgeting and gender lens investing. It suggests that the EC publishes a gender impact assessment of the annual EU budget and creates a task force to include gender mainstreaming EU objectives in the next MFF and in the mid-term review of the current MFF.