[Brussels, 27 September 2019] From 12 to 14 September 2019, a group of activists from EWL’s National Coordination in Romania, the Romanian Women’s Lobby, came to Brussels for a study and lobby visit. In this article, they tell us more.
“In September, the Romanian Women’s Lobby organised a study visit to Brussels to discuss gender budgeting with key partners and exchange ideas with other feminist organisations, including the EWL Secretariat and EWL members. The visit was organised to clarify topics that may be included in alternative public policies proposed by NGO’s involved in the project “Gender-based budgeting in public policies” in Romania. Our visit also aimed to create the framework for the development of future joint initiatives between Romania and European or Belgian NGOs in public policies aimed at including gender in budgets.
The delegation from the Romanian Women’s Lobby was composed of women from the NGOs which are the promoters of the gender budgeting of the project; Corona Foundation and Community Safety and Mediation Center, the National Agency for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men and ANES, partner in the project. Other participants came from other Romanian NGOs involved in the project: ASTRA & SECS Advisory Board, the Association of Women Journalists Ariadna, the Equal Chances for Women Foundation, Associatione Donne Romene Italia, Women get Involved Association, and Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations in Social Services.
The European Women’s Lobby was the host institution for our visit and helped set the agenda for meetings and visits to various services, institutions and NGOs in Brussels, including a visit to the European Parliament and meetings with Romanian Euro-MEPs relevant to the project activities. We also visited the amazing Belgian feminist centre Amazone.
Claire Fourçans, EWL’s new Policy and Campaigns Director, accompanied Romania’s delegation to all meetings in the European Parliament. Meetings were held with MEPs Dragos Pislaru – EMPL Commission – on working conditions of EU workers (we talked about the economy of care, mobility and working conditions, with emphasis on women), Nicolae Ştefănuţă – interested in the gender budgeting component (Budget Committee), Ramona Strugariu -LIBE – with whom the issue of violence against women, social services and the impact of the precarious work of women working in the member states of the European Union in the care economy was discussed. We also met with the assistants of Mr. Eugen Tomac -EMPL – on the problems related to the negative impact of the economic migration on the transnational family and the financing elements for the information and support centers in the diaspora. Short meetings also took place with MEPs Adina Valean and Rares Bogdan.
This is a snapshot of two intense days of meetings by an enthusiastic delegation.”
Follow the Romanian Women’s Lobby on Facebook
Article by Laura Albu, EWL Board member for Romania
