EWL News

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

EWL News
EWL partnering in project with Balkan NGO on VAW

Posted on 16 May 2013 |

(Brussels 16 May) The Council of Europe Convention for preventing and combating violence against women (Istanbul Convention) is a real breakthrough as it sets minimum international standards for the protection of women from male violence. Signed in May 2011, the convention has to date only been ratified by four countries - Albania, Montenegro, Portugal and Turkey. States that have ratified the Convention are legally-bound by its provisions once it enters into force. It will come into force (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL will address trafficking in women and prostitution at seminar on Women’s citizenship rights (Brussels, 28 May 2013)

Posted on 16 May 2013 |

(Brussels, 16 May 2013) On the 28 May 2013, the European Women’s Lobby will speak at the Aretusa event about women’s citizenship rights. The seminar, entitled "Addressing women’s rights within the 2013 European Year of Citizens context" will focus on the issues of violence against women, trafficking in women, and sexual exploitation, in the framework of the debates on citizenship and human rights.
ARETUSA is a platform that aims to develop the capacity of NGOs to translate the principle of (...) Read more
EWL News
NGOs and MEPs call for more legitimacy in the implementation of the EU economic strategy

Posted on 16 May 2013 |

(Brussels, 14 May 2013) The EWL co-organised a very successful public Hearing on ‘Strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the European Semester - Civil Society proposals for smart, sustainable and inclusive recovery’ on 14 May 2013 in the European Parliament.
For the second time since 2010, the European Women’s Lobby has been involved with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engaging with the European Semester. In a move for political transparency and impact in the lives of Europeans, an (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL concerned by potential closing down of gender sector in EU research services

Posted on 14 May 2013 |

(Brussels 14 May) On the 13 May, the EWL wrote to Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, whose portfolio responsibilities are for Research, Innovation and Science within the European Commission, to express our concerns regarding the status of the Gender Sector within European Commission services dealing with research, while these services are being reorganized.
The EWL stressed that science and research are areas where equality between women and men is still far from being achieved. For (...) Read more
EWL News
Civil society proposals for a smart, sustainable and inclusive recovery

Posted on 14 May 2013 |

(Tuesday 14 May) Getting alternative proposals for Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) in the European Semester. The 2013 European Semester is currently in full swing, especially according to the European Commission.
Member States are currently submitting their national reform programmes and their stability or convergence programmes and the Commission receives and then assesses them. The national documents were uploaded here as they arrived. The results of the Commission assessment (...) Read more
EWL News
Public hearing, CSRs and NRPs - Europe 2020 Joint Event, European Parliament, 14 May 2013

Posted on 10 May 2013 |

(Brussels 10 May) Next Tuesday, representatives from several European NGOs will get together at a public hearing in the European Parliament, to examine the Europe2020 strategy, and to discuss how to best tackle the glaring absence of civil society from the country specific recommendations (CSRs).
Civil Society representative organisations, (EAPN, EWL, Green Budget Europe, Eurodiaconia, EASPD, Eurochild, Caritas Europa) co-hosted by MEPs from four political parties (Marije Cornelissen, (...) Read more
EWL News
Book Launch: No time for children?

Posted on 10 May 2013 |

(Brussels 10 May) No Time for Children? Demographers agree: we are entering a period of steady population decline. What impact on the labour market? On Children? On Women? On Reconciling Work and Family Life?
While much of the world worries about increasing population, this book looks the other way. It highlights the dramatic fall in fertility rates in all regions of the world.
Demographers suggest that by 2050 this will lead to population decline. While environmentally this may be (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL prepares for General Assembly in Croatia

Posted on 10 May 2013 |

(Brussels 10 May) The EWL secretariat is hard at work preparing the EWL general assembly which will be held in Zagreb, Croatia between the 31st of May and 2 June next. We’re very much looking forward to this opportunity to get together with the EWL membership.
Here’s a little reminder of how we’re structured internally for those of you who mightn’t be aware.
General Assembly
The General Assembly of the EWL meets once a year, bringing together some 100 delegates from national and European (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL Vacancy - Administrative Assistant for Brussels secretariat

Posted on 3 May 2013 |

(Brussels 03 May)
EWL Vacancy - full time administrative assistant for Brussels Secretariat
The EWL and its Brussels based Secretariat are looking to recruit a full time administrative assistant. The person will work under the direction of the Secretary General and will be responsible for general administrative duties. The ideal candidate that EWL is looking for a highly organised, dynamic, independent and very attentive to detail. The ideal candidate will be able to work both in English (...) Read more
EWL News
Austerity Leaves Domestic Violence Victims Stranded

Published on Inter Press Service, 26 April 2013, by Claudia Ciobanu

Posted on 3 May 2013 |

(Belgrade, 26 April) - (IPS) - Up to a quarter of women in Europe have experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives, according to the Council of Europe. But despite the widespread nature of the phenomenon, more often than not we ignore it. A short video launched last month in Serbia managed to break this silence.
At first glance, the clip is just another photo-a-day video popularised on YouTube: photos of a smiling young woman follow one another, offering glimpses of (...) Read more