Despite the EU’s longstanding commitment to equality, we still see how gender equality lags behind in the labor market, how some parents lose their parental rights when crossing borders within the EU, and how women have for years been excluded from research trials, ranging from car safety to medicine. We also observe that the rights and safety of minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals are threatened in certain parts of Europe.
In 2021, women only made up 30.6% of board members in the largest listed companies in the EU-27. While trying to combat violence against women and domestic violence in the EU, gender-based cyber-violence has equally increased. In 2020, one in two young women experienced gender-based cyber-violence, while violence against women remained widespread in the EU.
In Poland, we saw how municipalities created LGBTQ+ free zones, while abortion laws were restricted to almost banned, similar to Malta.
For me, equality means equality for everyone. It means that everyone should have equal rights and equal opportunities regardless of their gender, religious beliefs, age, or profession. This is why I have fought for these values in the European Parliament:
- Ensuring that women’s needs and experiences in the transport sector are being taken into account when developing new policies. For instance, by creating more gender-disaggregated data to better tailor transport policies and services to all women, and by listening to input from women when designing transport infrastructure and in decision-making at the policy level.
- With the Women on Board Directive: I made sure to give women the same chances as men in top positions with responsibilities, and end the unjustified discrimination they face when applying for a board position.
- We urged all member states and the EU to improve healthcare access and legal protections for sex workers across Europe.
- With a European Certificate of Parenthood, we have taken a crucial step towards preventing discrimination against LGBTQ+ families.
- Adopted the first-ever EU-wide directive to combat violence against women. This directive sets out common standards to criminalise different forms of gender-based violence, prevent it, protect victims, and ensure equal access to justice, support, and prosecution across the Member States.
- Called on the Commission to close the digital gender gap and promote women’s participation in the digital economy.
- Called on the Commission to take steps to include abortion as a fundamental right in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.