EWL News

News typewritter Latest news from the European Women’s Lobby in Brussels

EWL News
EWL welcomes EP demand for an EU Strategy on violence against women

Posted on 5 April 2011 |

[Brussels, 05 April 2011] The European Parliament today adopted the report on ‘priorities and outline of a new EU policy framework to fight violence against women’, drafted by MEP Eva-Britt Svensson.
The EWL warmly welcomes this vote, which demonstrates the common concerns of the members of the European Parliament to combat this pervasive human rights violation. The report is a very strong political document which highlights the need for an EU action against all forms of violence against (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL representatives set to discuss prostitution and trafficking on occasion on Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery

Posted on 5 April 2011 |

[Brussels, 05 April 2011] EWL staff member Pierrette Pape and representative of the EWL member organisation MONA Foundation for the Women of Hungary), Andrea Matolcsi, will give a question and answer session following the screening next week of the documentary Redlight, touching on the issues of prostitution and trafficking. The screening is organised on the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery by the United Nations in partnership with the Goethe (...) Read more
EWL News
Sweden - EWL members condemn surrogacy as a form of exploitation of women’s bodies and reproductive organs

Posted on 4 April 2011 |

[Brussels, 04 April 2011] On 27 March, EWL member organisation the Swedish Women’s Lobby issued a Statement in support of EU action to fight violence against women. On this occasion, the General Assembly of the Swedish Women’s Lobby also condemned the increasing popularity of surrogacy as a violation of women’s reproductive rights. Read the Statement below.
Statement from Swedish Women’s Lobby’s General Assembly, 27 March 2011
We the participates of the General Assembly state our support for (...) Read more
EWL News
Conny Reuter re-elected president of the Social Platform

Posted on 4 April 2011 |

[Brussels, 07 April 2011] The General Assembly of the European Platform of Social NGOs (Social Platform), of which the EWL is a member, has elected a new Management Committee and welcomed three new full member organisations.
Conny Reuter, Secretary General of SOLIDAR, will start his second term as President of the Social Platform. Rodolfo Cattani, executive committee member of European Disability Forum, Michaela Moser, executive committee member of European Anti-Poverty Network, and Julien (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL speaks about gender equal reconciliation policies in Hungarian EU Presidency conference

Posted on 31 March 2011 |

[Brussels, 30 March 2011] The EWL reiterated its call for inclusive family policies that promote gender equality in a high-level conference on the impact of reconciliation policies on demographic trends organized by the Hungarian EU Presidency 28-29 March.
Speaking in panel discussion on the impact of reconciliation policies on fertility and fatherhood roles, the EWL reminded that reconciliation policies should not only be on the agenda because of their contribution to fertility rates, (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL signs the European Charter for Health Equity

Posted on 29 March 2011 |

[Brussels, 28 March 2011] The EWL has signed the European Charter for Health Equity of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA).
Rapidly increasing economic and political pressures put even more burden on socially deprived, most vulnerable and under-served population groups - increasing the health gap. We need to do much more than waiting for the EU to act; we need to go beyond “traditional” separated way of thinking.
That was a driver for EPHA to create the European Charter for Health (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL calls for inclusive family policies that advance equality between women and men

Posted on 24 March 2011 |

[Brussels, 25 March 2011] The EWL is concerned about the lack of a women’s rights and gender equality perspective and about the narrow definition of family in recent European family policy discussions that focus on increasing birth rates.
In the statement issued ahead of the thematic week "Europe for Families, Families for Europe" organized by the Hungarian EU Presidency from 28 March to 01 April, the EWL also notes that the current EU-level interest in families has the potential to start a (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL says EU’s financial framework must be gender sensitive

Posted on 24 March 2011 |

[Brussels, 24 March 2011] The EWL requires more targeted financing for fundamental rights, social justice and equality between women and men, and a gender responsive approach to the future EU financial framework in a high level hearing.
The EWL spoke on 21 March in high-level hearing on the next EU multi-annual financial framework organized by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) where civil society organizations had a possibility to exchange views with the EU Commissioner (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL meets with UN director Michelle Bachelet

Posted on 24 March 2011 |

[Brussels, 25 March 2011] The EWL participated in a dialogue with Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of the newly created United Nations agency UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Several NGOs were invited to the meeting that took place on 24 March in Brussels.
The EWL took the opportunity to highlight the challenges faced by women in the European region, including the impact of the crisis and of austerity measures on women’s economic (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL warns the Heads of EU Member States about gender-blind economic governance

Posted on 23 March 2011 |

[Brussels, 23 March 2011] Ahead of the European Council of 24 and 25 March the EWL reminds the Heads of EU Member States that economic governance without a women’s rights and gender equality perspective undermines the inclusive targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
In the two-day summit the European Council will agree on measures to preserve financial stability in the EU, and on the priorities for structural reform and fiscal consolidation for the year to come.
In the letter sent to the (...) Read more