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Paving the Way for an Equality-Centred Policy Cycle

Paving the Way for an Equality-Centred Policy Cycle

The European Union was founded on the principles of equality and non-discrimination. Yet too many people continue to face discrimination and inequality across the Union, including intersectional and multiple forms of discrimination in all aspects of their lives. In the current climate, it is now imperative that the EU institutions strengthen their resolve to take meaningful and urgent action to address this reality.

As European Union leaders decide on their priorities for the 2024-2029 cycle, we call on them to ensure that equality and non-discrimination are included as central priorities in the EU work programme for the next five years. Only by centring equality and protection from discrimination in this way can the EU truly respond to the key concerns of people living in the Union.

The equality and non-discrimination agenda was afforded increased visibility and action during the last five years as a result of the ambitious “Union of Equality” agenda and the appointment of the first Commissioner for Equality. This led to unprecedented progress in efforts to advance equality and non-discrimination across EU policy making. Progress included the adoption of important initiatives such as the Directive on violence against women, inaugural Gender Equality and LGBTIQ Equality Strategies, an Anti-Racism Action Plan, a Green Paper on Ageing, an Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, a Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU, as well as the renewal of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the EU Roma strategic framework.

At this critical juncture, it is vital that the EU continue to prioritize efforts to guarantee the founding values of equality and non-discrimination, to advance the entire package which comprises the Union of Equality, and to ensure an intersectional approach to this agenda. Failure to do so would seriously jeopardise progress in this area and mark a very dangerous step backward.

To this end we call on EU leadership to take the following steps:

  • Appoint a Commissioner for Equality and Fundamental Rights, ensuring the mandate has the power to renew and deepen the Union of Equality agenda and nominating a candidate with a demonstrated commitment to equality;
  • Strengthen the Union of Equality agenda by introducing new strategies to address grounds not already covered, mainstreaming all strategies across policy areas and renewing and building-out existing equality strategies, such as the Gender Equality Strategy, LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan, the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, the EU Strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities and the Roma strategic framework;
  • Ensure the next EU budget includes robust funding streams for civil society organisations working on equality and non-discrimination;
  • Ensure equality and non-discrimination objectives are also core components of EU priorities in the sphere of international cooperation, external and humanitarian action;
  • Maintain the current status of the Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and refrain from weakening its mandate;
  • Establish a Council configuration dedicated to equality in the EU and ensure concrete commitments towards implementation of equality strategies by member states;
  • Establish a new Directorate-General for Equality and Fundamental Rights thereby strengthening the Commission’s ability to design and monitor equality and non-discrimination laws and policies;
  • Renew and upgrade the mandates of the Commission Coordinators working on equality, ensuring a focus on intersectionality during this term;
  • Entrust the Commission Task Force on Equality with a strong mandate and ensure it works transparently and in close consultation and cooperation with civil society organizations and networks.

As 130 civil society organisations with significant expertise on equality, and as representatives of groups at increased risk of discrimination across the EU, we issue this call as a testament to our solidarity with each other, and urge EU leaders to ensure that the people most affected by EU policies and legislation on equality and non-discrimination are always involved in their development and implementation.

Signatories

      1. A Scuola Per Conoscerci, Italy
      2. ACCEPT Romania
      3. ACT Alliance EU
      4. AESCO (América, España, Solidaridad y Cooperación)
      5. AGE Platform Europe
      6. Agedo Nazionale, Italy
      7. Aidos (Italian Association for Women in Development)
      8. ALFI – Associazione Lesbica Femminista Italiana, Italy
      9. AlfiLune, Italy
      10. Amnesty International
      11. Amref Health Africa – Italy
      12. Anemos Dimiourgias – Greece
      13. ANTAMA (Greece)
      14. Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial Brussels
      15. APRe! Associação de Aposentados, Pensionistas e Reformados (Portugal)
      16. ARCIGAY LGBTQIA+ Association, Italy
      17. ASKV Refugee Support
      18. Asociación de Investigación y Especialización sobre Temas Iberoamericanos – AIETI (Spain)
      19. Asociación Por Ti Mujer
      20. Association Bagdam Espace Lesbian – France
      21. Association Legebitra, Slovenia
      22. Association Liberas – Italy
      23. Association for Monitoring Equal Rights / Eşit Haklar İçin İzleme Derneği (Turkey)
      24. ASTRA Network
      25. ATDAL Over 40 (Italy)
      26. Austrian Disability Council
      27. Austrian Family Planning Association (OGF)
      28. Autism-Europe
      29. Avaaz
      30. Avocats Sans Frontières
      31. Brain Injured and families European Federation (BIF)
      32. çavaria, Belgium
      33. Center for Reproductive Rights
      34. Certi Diritti, Italy
      35. Circolo di Cultura Omosessuale ” Mario Mieli”, Italy
      36. Civil Rights Defenders
      37. COC Nederland
      38. Cologne Counselling – Germany
      39. Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras (CCOO)
      40. Dachverband Lesben und Alter e.V. – Germany
      41. Danish Family Planning Association
      42. Disabled Peoples’ International European Region (DPI Europe)
      43. Doctors of the World Spain
      44. EDGE, Italy
      45. EMAIZE Sexologia Zentroa – Centro Sexológico
      46. End FGM EU
      47. Epen, El Parto es Nuestro
      48. EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C)
      49. European Blind Union (EBU)
      50. European Disability Forum
      51. European Dyslexia Association
      52. European Federation of Hard of Hearing People
      53. European Network Against Racism (ENAR)
      54. European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO Network)
      55. European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA)
      56. European Women’s Lobby
      57. Famiglie Arcobaleno APS, Italy
      58. Federación de Mujeres Progresistas
      59. Fédération Laïque de Centres de Planning Familial (FLCPF)
      60. Foundation for Women and Family Planning (FEDERA)
      61. French Family Planning / le Planning Familial
      62. Fundación Aspacia
      63. GAMS Belgium (Groupe pour l’Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles féminines)
      64. Gaynet – Formazione e Comunicazione sui temi Lgbti, Italy
      65. GenderLens, Italy
      66. General Commission for Justice and Peace of Spain
      67. GLAS Foundation, Bulgaria
      68. Haurralde Fundazioa
      69. HelpAge International
      70. HelpAge International Spain
      71. Human Rights Watch
      72. IGLYO
      73. ILGA-Europe
      74. Iniciatíva Inakosť, Slovakia
      75. International Commission of Jurists
      76. International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN)
      77. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
      78. International Federation of Persons with Physical Disabilities (FIMITIC)
      79. International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
      80. International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF EN)
      81. IntersexEsiste, Italy
      82. Irish Family Planning Association
      83. Jovesólides
      84. Kif Kif vzw
      85. KISA
      86. La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo (Spain)
      87. La Strada International
      88. Labrisz Lesbian Association – Hungary
      89. LesbenRing e.V. – Germany
      90. Lesbian Magazine and Program Organizing Association – Hungary
      91. Lesbian Organisation Rijeka – LORI – Croatia
      92. LesWorking – Spain
      93. LGBT komiteen – The LGBT Committee, Denmark
      94. Light for the World
      95. LSVD, the Lesbian and Gay Federation, Germany
      96. Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability (MFOPD)
      97. Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM)
      98. medicusmundi
      99. Mujeres Jóvenes de la Región de Murcia: 8 de marzo (MUJOMUR)
      100. Mujeres Supervivientes de Sevilla
      101. NET.Collect – Germany
      102. Nőkért Egyesület / Association for Women, Hungary
      103. Nothern Ireland Council for Racial Equality (NICRE)
      104. OII Europe
      105. Older Women’s Network
      106. PA.SY.D.Y. Pensioners Union (Cyprus)
      107. Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
      108. Polish Women’s Strike
      109. Possibile LGBTI+, Italy
      110. PRISME – Fédération wallonne LGBTQIA+, Belgium
      111. pro familia Bundesverband
      112. Quaker Council for European Affairs
      113. Queer Base – Welcome & Support for LGBTIQ Refugees – Austria
      114. Queer Sisterhood Cluj – Romania
      115. Rainbow Families Croatia
      116. Red de Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe – España
      117. RFSL, Sweden
      118. Rutgers
      119. Save the Children
      120. SB Overseas
      121. SEDRA-Federación Planificación Familiar
      122. Sensoa
      123. Society for Education on Contraception and Sexuality – SECS
      124. Stichting LOS, Netherlands
      125. Terre des Femmes
      126. TGEU – Transgender Europe
      127. Toutes des Femmes -France
      128. Women Against Violence Europe – WAVE Network
      129. Zavod Moja mavrica – Slovenia
      130. Zavod Transfeministična Iniciativa TransAkcija – Slovenia