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The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on 6 February is an occasion to raise awareness and call for further action to end this practice that puts an estimated four million girls at risk of severe harm every year. The available data shows that there are also survivors of FGM or potential victims in at least 16 EU Member States. The EU supports international efforts to end FGM and has made preventing and combating it a key part of its strategies on women's and children's ...

During its February 2026 plenary session, Parliament is expected to vote on recommendations to the Council on the EU's priorities for the 70th session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), which will focus on women's unequal access to justice and related forms of legal discrimination.

The European Citizens' Initiative, 'My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion', seeks an EU-level financial solidarity mechanism to support access to abortion care for women who cannot obtain safe and legal abortion in their home Member State, without harmonising national abortion laws. In November 2025, the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) adopted a motion for a resolution and an oral question supporting the ECI's aims. A debate is scheduled for the December plenary ...

On 25 November each year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women seeks to raise awareness globally about this serious social issue. On this day, the European Union is due to submit its first evaluation report on compliance with the Istanbul Convention, which it ratified in 2023. For the EU, gender-based violence remains a priority for action. The European Parliament is calling for further measures, such as making gender-based violence an 'EU crime'.

Women continue to be under-represented in EU countries at all levels of political decision-making as well as in political parties. The origins of this situation are complex, but one reason stands out: violence against women active in politics discourages many women from entering the political arena. Female politicians are exposed to two severe and intersecting forms of violence: political violence and gender-based violence. Violence against people active in politics, whether men or women, is a major ...

The current EU gender equality strategy concludes in 2025. A new strategy is scheduled for early 2026, following the adoption by the European Commission of a roadmap for women's rights and a public consultation. In response, the Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality calls for a comprehensive framework to address persistent inequalities, with its own-initiative report due for debate during the November I plenary session.

On 8 October 2025, the European Commission published its new LGBTIQ+ equality strategy for the period 2026 to 2030. According to the Commission, this strategy seeks to build on the ambition and achievements of the 2020-2025 equality strategy and is part of the EU's effort to build a Union where 'diversity is celebrated as part of our collective richness, where all people can be themselves without risk of discrimination, exclusion or violence'. While data from the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency show ...

This study examines how the gender health gap, and in particular the gender inequalities in medical research, drug development and access to care, affect women's bodies and lives. The study identifies fragmented policy responses and provides concrete policy recommendations relevant to EU decision-making aimed at closing highlighting the gender-based health gap in the EU. This document was prepared by Policy Department for Citizens, Equality and Culture at the request of the European Parliament’s ...

This paper presents findings from the European Parliament’s public consultation on women’s health in the EU. It covers a wide range of topics including care, education, workplace impact, information, and policy context. The results reflect the views of a selected population and offer exploratory insights into perceived gaps and priorities. This document was prepared at Erasmus MC by the Department of Public Health in collaboration with The Netherlands Women's Health Research & Innovation Center ...

Women remain under-represented in the EU fisheries sector, particularly as regards fishing and aquaculture activities. This in-depth analysis provides an overview of women’s participation in the sector, exploring available statistics and the incorporation of the gender dimension in EU fisheries policy. It also outlines the gradual integration of gender considerations in EU funding schemes, and the impact of the sectoral support provided by sustainable fisheries partnership agreements on women in ...