European Women’s Lobby phenomenal members meet in Lisbon

[Brussels, 16 October 2014] Last week, over 130 members of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) met in Lisbon during an Annual Meeting to discuss future strategies and elect a new Board of Administration and Executive Committee. Strategy post 2015 – Call for a feminist Europe Previous to the Annual Meeting the EWL launched its report ‘From Words to Action’ a review of the European Union’s activities 20 years after the commitments made at the Beijing Platform for Action of 1995. With that tool in hand, the EWL is now working on its post 2015 strategy. In a context where the limits of neo-liberalism and the detrimental impact of the socio-economic crisis on women have become crystal clear, where an urgent climate change problem and inability of global governance to address this has become unacceptable, where globalisation causes inequality in every corner of Europe and the world and where we see a backlash on women’s sexual and reproductive rights; we believe it is high time for some new energy for a feminist Europe. The facilitator of this exciting journey is Jane Esuantsiwa Goldsmith, who launched EWL’s post 2015 strategy process in Lisbon and will work with the EWL and its members during the year to come. Elections 2014-2016 The EWL also elected a new Board of Administration, comprising 28 delegates of national women’s rights coordinations and 10 delegates of European-wide organisations. Find the full list on our Board page.

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Viviane Teitelbaum was re-elected as European Women’s Lobby President. Other members of the Executive Committee are Vice-Presidents Edith Schratzberger Vecsei of the Medical Women’s International Association and Borbala Juhasz of the Hungarian Women’s Lobby. The new Treasurer is Annelies Pierrot Bults of University Women of Europe. The Executive Committee is completed by Laura Albu of the Romanian Women’s Lobby, Elvy Svennerstal of the Swedish Women’s Lobby and Alice Mary Higgins of the National Women’s Council of Ireland. Emergency motions EWL members also adopted 4 so-called emergency motions. These are raised by members on an urgent issue concerning a current problem and call on the EWL to take a political position on the matter. During this years Annual Meeting, the EWL: – Condemned crimes against women committed by Islamic State, positioned itself; – Said NO to a GDP which trivializes prostitution; – Wants abortion rights to be included in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU; – Calls for support to highest international standards in Ireland’s mother and baby home investigation The Annual Meeting also officially congratulated Malala Yousafzai for winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her empowering and coureagous struggle for girls’ rights. At the EWL Secretariat in Brussels we want to warmly thank our Portuguese members for hosting the meeting and we are very proud of our new Board and Executive Committee who will take the European Women’s Lobby forward to a feminist future! Find pictures here!

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