On March 5, the European Commission presented its strategy for equality between women and men in Europe. While the EU is a global leader in gender equality and has made significant progress in the last decades, gender-based violence and stereotypes continue to persist: one in three women in the EU was subject to physical and/or sexual violence. Even though more women graduate from universities, they earn on average 16% less than men do and only 8% of CEO’s of the EU’s largest companies are women.

To address this, the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 sets out key actions for the next 5 years and commits to ensure that the Commission will include an equality perspective in all EU policy areas. The Strategy outlines how the Commission will deliver on the promise made by President von der Leyen that Europe provides the same opportunities for all that share the same aspirations.

The launching of this Strategy in 2020 coincides with the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action –the first universal commitment and action plan to advance on equality between women and men. This strategy is the EU’s contribution to shaping a better world for women and men, girls and boys. It delivers on the gender equality Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5), gender equality as a cross-cutting priority of all SDGs, and on the EU’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

You can read the communication –available in all the EU languages– on the following link:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2020:152:FIN#document1