European & International News

International news globe All the latest news from the European Union, its member states, and beyond.

European & International News
EWL welcomes Council Conclusions calling for European action to end violence against women

Posted on 6 June 2014 |

[Brussels, 6 June 2014] Yesterday, the Council of the European Union Justice and Home Affairs issued conclusions on Preventing and combating all forms of violence against women and girls, including female genital mutilation. The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) strongly welcomes this political statement, which reiterates the recognition of violence against women as a priority issue to address in Europe today.
The Conclusions state that violence against women and other forms of gender-based (...) Read more
European & International News
EU: Council Conclusions on gender equality in sport lack ambition

Posted on 6 June 2014 |

[Brussels, 27 May 2014] On 20 May 2014, EU Ministers for education, youth, culture and sport, agreed on Council Conclusions on gender equality in sport. The Conclusions reiterate the European fundamental core value of equality between women and men and refer to both the EU Conference on Gender Equality in Sport (Vilnius, Dec.2013) and the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport (from the first World Conference on Women and Sport, 1994). They build on the recently adopted Proposal for (...) Read more
European & International News
How to strengthen Europe’s fundamental rights protection: FRA suggests ways forward

Posted on 6 June 2014 |

[Press release of the Fundamental Rights Agency, Vienna/Luxembourg, 6 June 2014] As EU ministers meet to discuss the future of the EU’s policies on freedom, security and justice, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) outlines practical suggestions in its Annual report about how to ensure people in the EU can have their rights better protected. It also maps out the fundamental rights challenges and achievements that took place over the course of 2013.
“FRA’s Annual report points to the (...) Read more
European & International News
Sexuality education : the way forward for equality and empowerment, to build up a progressive and equal Europe with young people

Posted on 26 May 2014 |

[Press release of Le Planning Familial (MFPF Such is the oucome of the European conference held on May, 16th 2014, by Le Planning Familial with its European partners, one week before the European elections.
The stakes are high. Sexual rights are fundamental rights and a major issue in terms of equality between women and men, and more generally between all citizens in Europe.
Men and women still do not have the same status and opportunities. Yet there is no justification for the current (...) Read more
European & International News
First MEP for feminist party likely to win seat in European elections

Article by the Guardian

Posted on 23 May 2014 |

[Article by the Guardian, 20 May 2014] "Feminist parties in Sweden, France and Germany contest seats as women’s issues feature more widely in campaigns generally". In this article by the Guardian, the backlash against women’s rights and the rise of feminist parties in Europe form the central theme. EWL Policy Officer and Fundraising Coordinator Serap Alitinisk provides her view on the upcoming European elections.
Picture - Soraya Post of the Swedish Feminist Initiative is on course to break (...) Read more
European & International News
France ratifies the Istanbul Convention on violence against women!

Posted on 21 May 2014 |

[Brussels, 21 May 2014] On 14 May 2014, France has ratified the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, becoming the 12th state to do so.
The Istanbul Convention is the first legally-binding instrument in Europe in the field of male violence against women and the most far-reaching international treaty to tackle this serious violation of human rights. The Istanbul Convention is an ambitious tool to eliminate male violence against women (...) Read more
European & International News
Amnesty Sweden rejects Amnesty International’s proposal to decriminalise the system of prostitution

Posted on 21 May 2014 |

[Article translated from Swedish by the blog Liberation Language Swedish Amnesty goes against the positive view of purchasing sex expressed by Amnesty International.
At its annual meeting in Malmö this weekend, the Swedish section took a clear position against legal prostitution.
Last winter, Amnesty International caused an outcry among Swedish women’s organizations when its International Secretariat in London presented a proposal saying the organization should advocate the (...) Read more
European & International News
Ministers reaffirm EU commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in development action

Posted on 21 May 2014 |

[Brussels, 21 May 2014] On 19 May 2014, EU Foreign Affairs Ministers gathered in Brussels for a Council meeting on Development. They delivered their Council Conclusions on the 2013 Report on the Implementation of the EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development 2010-2015, where they said that gender equality should be at the heart of the EU’s rights-based approach to development cooperation.
EU Ministers welcomed the latest report on the implementation of the (...) Read more
European & International News
European social partners launch toolkit for gender equality in practice

Posted on 21 May 2014 |

[Madrid, 7 May 2014] On 7 May 2014, the European organisations representing employers and workers launched a toolkit compiling 100 initiatives to promote gender equality in the work place: the Toolkit for gender equality in practice.
In 2005, the European social partners, namely ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME and CEEP, signed a Framework of Actions on Gender Equality. This is an action-oriented tool providing a joint platform for actions to promote gender equality by European and national (...) Read more
European & International News
European elections coming up: some useful websites

Posted on 16 May 2014 |

[Brussels, 16 Mayl 2014] European elections are just around the corner. Indeed, from 22 to 25 May 2014, nearly 500 million citizens from 28 EU Member States will go to the polls to elect the new Members of the European Parliament (MEP’s) to represent their interests for the next five years. The results will be announced on the evening of Sunday 25 May. This time 751 MEPs will be elected. MEPs’ seats are allocated among the various states, by the EU treaties, on the basis of ’degressive (...) Read more