Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Equality between women and men is a fundamental principle of the European Union. Gender mainstreaming and an intersectional approach must be implemented and integrated across all EU policies, ensuring consistency between internal and external action in order to promote human rights, democracy, and gender equality worldwide. Women’s human rights and gender equality are not only fundamental rights, but also preconditions for development, poverty reduction, and for building peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable societies.

Access to justice, enshrined in international law and in Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, is central to the rule of law and democracy. Yet access to justice for women remains a complex and critical issue across all regions. Women continue to be significantly under-represented at the highest levels of the judiciary and prosecutorial authorities, especially in leadership roles such as presidents of courts, chief justices, and heads of prosecution offices. At the same time, judicial stereotyping and prevailing gender norms hinder justice for women victims and survivors of violence.

The United Nations has promoted greater participation of women in the justice sector, and evidence shows that increased female representation within judicial institutions advances more victim-centred approaches to justice. This is particularly relevant in responding to violence against women and domestic violence, which constitute violations of fundamental rights. Legal systems must be responsive to the needs of victims by ensuring adequate protection and remedies, yet many women still face substantial barriers in reporting abuse and accessing legal support. Many women and girls, particularly those facing multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination, experience the justice system as lacking sensitivity to the realities of vulnerable groups.

This recommendation calls on the Council to reconfirm the EU’s commitment to gender equality and to ensure that women’s rights are fully implemented in all aspects of EU external action through an inclusive, intersectional, and adequately funded approach. It also stresses the need for the full involvement of Parliament and its Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in shaping the EU’s position at the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The recommendation further pledges strong support for UN Women as the central actor within the UN system for advancing women’s rights and calls on all UN member states, together with the EU, to provide adequate funding. It underlines the importance of ambitious and complementary European and international instruments, with robust provisions to guarantee women’s empowerment and access to justice, including access to legal aid and consideration of specialised courts for gender-based violence. Protecting women’s rights through effective justice systems builds a path to fairer societies, in line with the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG16).

Finally, the recommendation emphasises the need for gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting across all EU policy areas, for the acceleration of international commitments to prevent all forms of violence against women and girls, and for the promotion of women’s equal representation in the judiciary. Women’s rights and gender equality are essential to the rule of law, resilient democracies, and the EU’s core values, and the Union must show leadership in ensuring that these rights are guaranteed in practice. Access to justice for all is key for just and inclusive societies and a precondition for substantive gender equality and human rights.