Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 13 Februarythe 2019Commission onreport experiencingof aMarch backlash2025 inentitled women’s‘2025 rightsreport andon gender equality in the EU,EU’,

Removed– having regard to its resolution of 28 November 2019 on the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention and other measures to combat gender-based violence,

Added– having regard to the Council conclusions of 2 June 2006 on women's health23,

Removed– having regard to its resolution of 30 January 2020 on the gender pay gap,

Added– having regard to the judgment of the Court of Justice 14 December 2021, V.М.А. v Stolichna obshtina, rayon ‘Pancharevo’24,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 2311 OctoberDecember 20202013 on Gender Equality in EU’s foreign andwomen securitywith policy,disabilities25,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 2129 JanuaryNovember 20212018 on the EUsituation Strategyof forwomen Genderwith Equality,disabilities26,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 2113 JanuaryFebruary 20212019 on closing theexperiencing digitala genderbacklash gap:in women’s participationrights and gender equality in the digital economy,EU27,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 1128 FebruaryNovember 20212019 on challenges ahead for women’s rights inthe Europe:EU’s moreaccession thanto 25the yearsIstanbul afterConvention theand Beijingother Declarationmeasures andto Platformcombat forgender-based Action,violence28,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 1030 JuneJanuary 20212020 on promotingthe gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education andpay careers,gap29,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 2423 JuneOctober 20212020 on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in theGender EU,Equality in theEU’s frameforeign ofand women’ssecurity health,policy30,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 1621 SeptemberJanuary 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on identifying gender-based violence as a new area of crimethe listedEU inStrategy Articlefor 83(1)Gender TFEU,Equality31,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 1421 DecemberJanuary 2021 withon recommendationsthe togender theperspective Commissionin onthe combatingCOVID-19 gender-basedcrisis violence:and cyberviolence,post-crisis period32,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 1521 DecemberJanuary 2021 on equalityclosing betweenthe womendigital andgender mengap: inwomen’s theparticipation Europeanin Unionthe indigital 2018-2020,economy33,

Removed– having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2022 on the EU Gender Action Plan III,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 11 February 2021 on challenges ahead for women’s rights in Europe: more than 25 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action34,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 310 MayJune 20222021 on reachingpromoting women’sgender economicequality independencein throughscience, entrepreneurshiptechnology, engineering and self-employment,mathematics (STEM) education and careers35,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 524 JulyJune 20222021 towardson athe commonsituation Europeanof actionsexual onand care,reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women’s health36,

Removed– having regard to its resolution of 5 July 2022 on women’s poverty in Europe,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 16 September 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on identifying gender-based violence as a new area of crime listed in Article 83(1) TFEU37,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 1 June14 2023December on2021 sexualwith harassmentrecommendations into the EUCommission andon MeToocombating evaluation,gender-based violence: cyberviolence38,

Changed– having regard to its resolution of 1115 AprilDecember 20242021 on includingequality thebetween rightwomen toand abortionmen in the EUEuropean FundamentalUnion Rightsin Charter,2018-202039,

Changed– having regard to its recommendationresolution of 19 December 2024 to10 theMarch Council2022 concerningon the EU priorities for the 69th session of the UN Commission on theGender StatusAction ofPlan Women,III40,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 3 May 2022 on reaching women’s economic independence through entrepreneurship and self-employment41,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 5 July 2022 towards a common European action on care42,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 5 July 2022 on women’s poverty in Europe43,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 1 June 2023 on sexual harassment in the EU and MeToo evaluation44,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 14 September 2023 on the regulation of prostitution in the EU: its cross-border implications and impact on gender equality and women’s rights45,

Added– having regard to its resolution of 11 April 2024 on including the right to abortion in the EU Fundamental Rights Charter46,

Added– having regard to its recommendation of 19 December 2024 to the Council concerning the EU priorities for the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women47,

Added– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of 9 April 2025 on a revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world,

– having regard to the report of 25 November 2024 by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), Eurostat and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) entitled ‘EU gender-based violence survey: key results’,

– having regard to the Gender Equality Index 2024, published by the EIGE on 10 December 2024,

Added– having regard to the study entitled ‘Policies for long term carers’ published by its Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services in November 2021,

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs,

Changed– having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (A10-0000/2025),(A10-0210/2025),

Change 1

ChangedA. whereas the rightrights to equal treatment isand anon-discrimination are fundamental rightrights recognised in the TreatiesTreaties48 and in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and isare essential for itsEU’s further development; whereas the EU has a key role in eliminating inequalities and promoting equality, as set out in the TFEU49;

Change 2

ChangedB. whereas gender equality is a core value of the EU, a fundamental right and key principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and an essential condition for progress;progress that requires the promotion of equal opportunities and outcomes from the earliest stages of education and the elimination of gender stereotypes from childhood; whereas Parliament welcomes the principles included in the Declaration annexed to the Commission communication of 7 March 2025 entitled ‘A Roadmap for Women's Rights’ as minimum standards, stressing the need for greater ambition;

Change 3

RemovedC. whereas gender-based violence is still a globally widespread phenomenon, including in the EU, and has severe consequences for victims and society;

AddedC. whereas the Member States scored on average 71.0 points out of 100 in the EU Gender Equality Index 2024, a score which is a very moderate improvement of 0.8 points compared to the previous edition of the Index; whereas there is a growing backlash against progress in gender equality and women's rights that is trying to re-establish outdated gender roles as the norm, questioning the achievements reached in gender equality and blocking further progress; whereas multiple stakeholders, including the UN General Assembly, have acknowledged the active resistance to achievements and advances in gender equality and the growing backlash against women's rights; whereas anti-gender and anti-rights movements threaten the fundamental rights of women and girls and the achievement of gender equality on a daily basis and the global backlash against women and women’s rights is also felt in the Global South, as cuts in development aid mostly affect women in developing areas and the global gag rule targets women’s rights organisations specifically; whereas there is a clear and urgent need to reaffirm, safeguard and develop gender equality and the human rights of women and girls50;

RemovedD. whereas everyone in the EU has the right of access to the highest standards of physical and mental health;

AddedD. whereas movements opposing gender equality policies, family diversity, same-sex marriage, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and gender mainstreaming try to influence national and European policymaking; whereas far-right parties and anti-democratic, fascist ideologies, which are increasingly successful and popular, seek to undermine established rights, hinder legislative progress, and weaken institutional mechanisms designed to protect women, girls and the most marginalised people in our society; whereas they threaten achievements with regard to women’s rights, gender equality and the rule of law, as well as fundamental rights in general, in the EU and its Member States, including through coordinated disinformation campaigns; whereas the mechanisms by which these movements organise, fundraise, mobilise and exert influence across national borders remain largely under-researched, but a report51 from 2021 showed a transnational network making strategic financial decisions across international borders; whereas a worrying rise of the so-called manosphere can be witnessed globally with online male social media influencers promoting the false narrative that feminism and gender equality have come at the cost of men’s rights, using extreme language, normalising violence against women and girls, and having growing links to radicalisation and extremist ideologies52; whereas the Commission, as the guardian of the Treaties, should also be at the forefront of the protection of women’s rights and gender equality as such developments pose a direct threat to the values of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law enshrined in Article 2 TEU; whereas certain Commission proposals aiming at regulatory simplification, such as the initial draft of the Horizon Europe work programme for 2025, risk hindering gender equality, as did the announced plan to withdraw the proposal for the horizontal anti-discrimination directive; whereas gender equality is a precondition for strengthening competitiveness and reaching sustainable growth;

RemovedE. whereas labour market disparities and a lack of fair working conditions and safety for women workers are still persistent across the EU, and the existing gender pay gap is, to a large extent, the consequence of the systematic undervaluation of work carried out in female-dominated sectors; whereas therefore the issue of ‘equal pay for work of equal value’ needs to be tackled to close the gender pay gap;

AddedE. whereas gender-based violence (GBV) is a systemic issue and is still a globally widespread and endemic phenomenon, including in the EU, and has severe consequences for victims and survivors, including women and girls, and society as a whole, as it reinforces systemic gender inequality and perpetuates harmful structures based on gender stereotype; whereas the adoption in 2024 of the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence was an important milestone on the way toward eliminating GBV and whereas it will now be crucial to ensure its full and timely implementation by the Member States, while also recognising that we need to further develop prompt, innovative and effective responses, including through the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence technologies; whereas about one third of women in the EU who have faced sexual harassment experienced it at work53, with devastating consequences for the victims; whereas this shows the importance of introducing concrete legislative measures to tackle GBV in the workplace, including support for victims, as well as strong prevention measures; whereas all Member States have signed the Istanbul Convention, but five Member States have yet to ratify it; whereas the EU acceded to the Convention in 2023 as regards matters falling under its exclusive competences;

RemovedF. whereas emerging digital technologies are a risk factor for gender equality and could perpetuate and deepen existing patterns of gender inequalities, discrimination and violence against women and girls;

AddedF. whereas trafficking in human beings represents one of the most flagrant violations of fundamental human rights and human dignity and is a growing branch of organised crime, concerning mostly women, minors and children, especially for the purpose of sexual exploitation, often targeting vulnerable women with false promises, only to then coerce them into sexual exploitation and subject them to inhumane living conditions; whereas human trafficking is a form of modern slavery; whereas there is a need to effectively tackle demand that fosters all forms of exploitation related to trafficking in human beings; whereas there is a strong link between trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation;

RemovedG. whereas across the EU, caregiving responsibilities are disproportionately carried out by women, and this contributes to inequalities;

AddedG. whereas approaches towards prostitution vary in Member States, ranging from criminalisation of the provider or the user to legalisation; whereas women in prostitution face more egregious human rights violations, violence and exploitation than other women on average, including high levels of gender-based, psychological, physical and sexual violence; whereas numerous factors cause people to enter and stay in prostitution, including poverty stemming from social injustices and exclusion, inequalities, limited employment, intersectional discrimination, and a lack of safe and legal migration opportunities; whereas policies supporting people who wish to exit prostitution should be implemented;

RemovedH. whereas research shows that women are under-represented at all levels of economic and political decision-making worldwide, and that achieving gender parity in political life is a distant prospect;

AddedH. whereas sexual and reproductive rights are protected as human rights in international and European human rights law, such as in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the European Convention on Human Rights, and constitute an essential element of comprehensive healthcare provision; whereas, in its resolution of 11 April 2024, Parliament called for the inclusion of SRHR, including the right to abortion, in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; whereas SRHR54 are fundamental to the well-being and empowerment of individuals and they include access to contraceptive service and information, safe and legal abortion care and access to scientifically-based and accurate information, fertility treatments, comprehensive and age-appropriate sexuality and relationship education, and quality obstetric and gynaecological care; whereas despite some progress, these services and this information often remain unavailable in practice in some Member States and they have traditionally been seen as women’s issues, which undermines progress and perpetuates gender inequalities; whereas men's active engagement in SRHR can help challenge harmful gender norms, promote shared responsibility in family planning and support women’s rights and well-being;

RemovedI. whereas many women and vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, people who are racialised, people from ethnic, minority or migrant backgrounds, older people and LGBTIQ+ people, face intersecting inequalities and discrimination in the EU;

AddedI. whereas health rights, particularly sexual and reproductive health rights, are fundamental rights, and should be enhanced and cannot be watered down in any way or removed; whereas violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including denial of safe and legal abortion services and all forms of obstetric and gynaecological violence, constitute gender-based violence and breach fundamental human rights, yet more than 20 million women in the EU still lack access to safe and legal abortion and other SRHR; whereas some Member States still have highly restrictive laws prohibiting abortion except in strictly defined circumstances or have practical barriers to accessing it, resulting in women having to seek clandestine abortions, to travel to other countries or to carry their pregnancy to term against their will, which is a violation of human rights and a form of gender-based violence affecting the right to life of women and girls, their physical and mental integrity and safety, equality, non-discrimination and their health and puts them under undue economic and mental stress; whereas the European Citizen’s Initiative named My Voice, My Choice with over 1.2 million signatures calls on the EU to ensure access to safe and legal abortion for all, while respecting the division of competences under the Treaties, and demands that the EU pass legislation that creates a financial mechanism helping Member States that voluntarily join this policy to provide safe abortion care for all those who do not have access to it; whereas new studies on obstetric violence found that between 21 % and 81 % of the women surveyed who had given birth had experienced one or more forms of obstetric violence and the findings show that lack of informed consent, non-consented-to care, verbal and physical abuse and lack of communication are persisting issues in the Member States55; whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) states that quality midwifery care is crucial for improving maternal and newborn health outcomes, reducing interventions and enhancing women’s birth experiences56;

AddedJ. whereas in the EU, 31 % of women aged 18-74 experienced physical (including threats) or sexual violence in adulthood and 20 % of women experienced physical (including threats) or sexual violence by a non-partner, according to the latest EU-wide survey57 and official reports from 17 Member States reveal that 788 women were killed by their intimate partner or a family member in 202258; whereas data shows that for 57 % of victims of GBV, the violence has caused health consequences, from physical injuries to long-term psychological trauma59, while 31 % of victims of GBV never disclosed their experience to anyone; whereas the support systems for victims of GBV in the EU are still inadequate and research shows that only seven Member States provide enough counselling centres for women, while existing shelters fall far below the Istanbul Convention's recommended levels60; whereas other research performed across the Member States has shown that GBV in public spaces and on collective transport is a highly significant problem and that safety measures and victim support remain insufficient;

AddedK. whereas recorded offences related to sexual assault and rape increased between 2019 and 2022 and data shows that in 2022, there was a 25 % increase in documented cases of sexual assault against women in the EU and reported cases of rape surged by 40 % compared to 201961; whereas, according to the FRA, up to 55 % of women in the European Union have experienced sexual harassment in public transport and there are a multitude of reports on sexual assaults carried out in different modes of transport, such as by the drivers of ride-hailing platforms and taxis; whereas all this data shows that women are not safe at home, at work or in any public sphere and there is an urgent need to act; whereas the collecting of uniform and comparable, gender-disaggregated data, as is provided by the EIGE, is essential to build comprehensive gender equality policies; whereas the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence does not contain a harmonised definition of the offence of rape based on the absence of consent; whereas to pave the way for legislation containing such a definition, it is important to extend the list of areas of crime under Article 83(1) TFEU to GBV, because it meets the criteria specified in this article;

AddedL. whereas cyberviolence against women based on gender includes a range of different forms of violence on the grounds of gender or a combination of gender and other factors, and is perpetrated through information and communication technologies (ICT) and the proliferation of artificial intelligence; whereas certain forms of cyberviolence affect women and girls disproportionately, take more severe forms and have specific and vicious consequences and a more incapacitating effect on women and girls such as silencing, censoring and alienation of women and girls and can lead to them avoiding the public sphere; whereas increasing and pervasive cyberviolence is affecting women on a daily basis in the EU and, according to the FRA, women remain the primary target for certain forms of cyberviolence, such as hate crime and hate speech online62, as well as gendered disinformation, while female politicians, journalists, bloggers, artists, activists, human rights defenders and other women with a public presence, as well as LGBTIQ+ people, are faced with higher levels of violence and abuse in the online world63, which significantly impacts women’s participation in public life and representation and poses a threat to democracy; whereas child sexual abuse and exploitation has a strong gender component, which disproportionately affects girls online, therefore qualifying as a form of GBV;

AddedM. whereas everyone in the EU has the right of access to the highest standards of physical and mental health and support services, the right to timely, affordable and high-quality access to preventative and diagnostic healthcare, and the right to benefit from medical treatment, including SRHR; whereas the EU has an obligation to ensure a high level of human health protection across all Union policies and activities64without discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics or on any other ground;

AddedN. whereas LGBTIQ+ people across Europe still face discrimination when accessing healthcare services, with 16 % of survey respondents reporting that they have felt discriminated against by healthcare or social services staff because of their identity and with trans people reporting especially high levels of transphobic and disrespectful behaviour towards them by healthcare personnel; whereas everyone has the right to bodily autonomy and integrity and should not be subjected to, for example, the practice of forced sterilisation or medicalisation, both of which violate human rights standards; whereas women face multiple challenges that negatively affect their well-being, including delayed diagnoses, pain bias, research disparities, limited access and barriers and challenges in accessing essential services, especially women with disabilities, women in rural areas, migrant women65 and other women facing intersectional discrimination and in vulnerable situations; whereas men are less likely to seek medical attention, as they are generally less aware of symptoms or tend to downplay them, often not reporting signs of disease or illness66; whereas all Member States that are parties to the CEDAW are bound by its commitments, including access to healthcare services; whereas ensuring equitable access to healthcare services is essential to safeguarding public health, promoting social inclusion and reducing inequalities; whereas action is urgently needed to further research and address the persistent gender health gap;

AddedO. whereas women are more likely to experience mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety and old age loneliness, which can contribute to mental health problems, compared to men; whereas, for instance, in 2019 a higher proportion of women (8.7 %) than men (5.5 %) aged 15 and over in the EU reported chronic depression67; whereas four out of five people diagnosed with an autoimmune disease are women; whereas cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally, with women experiencing higher mortality rates and poorer outcomes following acute events, accounting for 37 % of all female deaths compared to 31 % of male deaths; whereas women with CVD are consistently underdiagnosed, undertreated and under-represented in clinical trials, leading to further and deeper inequalities in the field of public health;

AddedP. whereas women, in all their diversity, are consistently placed at a disadvantage by structural and cultural factors and are disproportionately affected by different challenges, for example the consequences of the cost of living crisis, as they tend to be among the poorest part of the population, representing 70 % of the 1.3 billion people living in conditions of poverty, or austerity policies, which have disproportionately impacted women, particularly those from racialised and low-income backgrounds; whereas poverty is increasing across the EU and it is mainly women who are paid less than a living wage, rendering many unable to provide for themselves and their families, and this is especially the case for trans women who are nearly three times as likely to be unemployed; whereas nearly one in three non-EU born women work in precarious jobs in the EU; whereas 18 % of migrant women are at risk of poverty; whereas in most EU countries, long-term residence and work permits are often more accessible to those considered to be highly skilled and well-paid workers, while those relegated to 'medium and low-skilled' sectors can be at risk of exploitation and precarious work in undervalued sectors; whereas unique challenges in certain sectors put women at an initial disadvantage, for example female farmers who are faced with gender-specific obstacles such as lack of access to land, difficulty financing agricultural training and education, and equal treatment; whereas poverty and social exclusion have structural causes that need to be eradicated and reversed, in particular, through policies on employment, housing, mobility and access to public services;