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Ideas for just societies in Europe

Faced with the challenge of growing social inequalities in Europe, exacerbated by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union is under increasing pressure to address social inequalities politically despite limited competencies.

Equal treatment and gender equality are essential pillars of a just, democratic, and open society. These are some of the most important European values and are legally anchored. The EU can take initiatives to coordinate the social policies of the Member States (Article 5 TFEU) and thus support their sociopolitical cooperation and set minimum standards throughout Europe. Articles 151 to 161 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provide the legal basis for social policy.

Common goals of the EU and its Member States are, for instance, the improvement of living and working conditions and combating exclusion.
Projects

European values

The focus monitoring on European values provides detailed background information on the fundamental values of the European Union. It presents the six fundamental values of the EU by Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU): respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Please note that both issues are only published in German.

EU Monitoring: Current socio-political developments in Europe

In our EU-Monitoring, we provide a regular overview of the activities of the European Union, the Council of Europe and the European civil society organisations in social policy.

A special focus is on our key issues in child and youth policy, family and reconciliation policy, gender equality policy, rights of LGBTIQ* people and policy for older people.
Accompanying the EU Monitoring, we publish focus issues in which the European Union's sociopolitical relevant measures and strategies are presented.

If you would like to receive the EU-Monitoring by e-mail, please write us stating your name and organisation: beobachtungsstelle (a) iss-ffm.de

Please note that the EU-Monitoring is only published in German.


Stronger together: democracy and gender equality in Europe

What's gender equality got to do with democracy? Why is an intersectional understanding of gender equality more democratic? And what's happening in the European Union to foster gender equality and democracy?

The Dossier engages with these questions in depth: The topic is introduced by Julia Lux (Observatory). In his statement, Robert Biedroń (Chair of the FEMM-Committee in the European Parliament) recapitulates the EU parliamentary equality policy efforts during the legislative period 2019–2024. Belinda Dear (ILGA-Europe) and Julie Pascoët (ENAR) highlight in the interview where reform is needed from an intersectional perspective on equality. Gabriele Abels (University of Tübingen, Germany) discusses the Commission initiative Union of Equality. To top it off, theses on the relationship between democracy and gender equality by Julia Lux (Observatory) provide food for thought.

 

For a Union of Equality: how the EU addresses structural inequality

In November 2019, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen coined the term "Union of Equality" in the political guidelines for her future Commission 2019–2024.

Based on an intersectional approach, strategies and measures are introduced to reduce structural discrimination and socially dominant stereotypes. It should be possible for everybody to have the same opportunities and realize the same life aspirations regardless of differences based on sex, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Gender Equality Strategy and the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy put this idea into practice. Both strategies apply to the years 2020 to 2025. After an introduction, they are presented as examples of further EU strategies and measures for a union of equality in the focus issue of EU monitoring.

Please note that the focus issue is only published in German.


Threat to democracy and human rights: the anti-gender movement in Europe

Movements mobilising against gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights have gained strength across Europe in recent years. The strengthening also brings to light an increasingly transnationally organised and financed independent anti-gender movement that attacks the rights of women* and LGBTIQ* persons.

It also puts democracy, human rights and the rule of law at risk. This is evident locally, regionally or nationally, and Europe-wide, where alliances are organised transnationally to undermine the European Union's foundations and reverse already existing consensus.

The Newsletter 2/2021 introduces the emergence, main lines of argumentation, and actors of the transnational anti-gender movement in Europe. To do so, the Newsletter looks at the specific case of the Istanbul Convention combatting gender-based violence. Furthermore, it provides insights into three focal topics: transnational financing structures of the anti-gender movement, increasing anti-trans attacks and corresponding counterstrategies, as well as gender-based cyber violence.

In 2023, the Observatory looked at the anti-gender movement in Europe again. Dossier 1/2023 deals with the right to abortion in Europe. Banning abortions is also intended to undermine human rights and gender equality with implications for an open and democratic society.

For a strong social Europe: The European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan

With the European Pillar of Social Rights proclamation in 2017, the European Union has set guidelines for a strong social Europe that is just and inclusive and offers opportunities for all.

With its 20 principles, the European Pillar of Social Rights strengthens the social rights of EU citizens in the three dimensions of equal opportunities and access to the labour market, fair working conditions, and social protection and inclusion.  To translate these principles into concrete actions, the European Commission adopted the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan in March 2021. The Action Plan provides three targets by 2030: employment, skills and social protection.

In our Newsletter, we present both instruments in detail.

Combatting child poverty: a European child guarantee

Child poverty is widespread in Europe, even in economically strong countries. One in four children in the European Union is at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The coronavirus pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have exacerbated existing inequalities even further.

In March 2021, the European Commission adopted the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, which aims to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the European Union by at least five million by 2030. To achieve this, an integrated approach is needed that focuses on the causes of poverty and social exclusion, and that breaks the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

On 14 June 2021, the EU Member States adopted a Council recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee. It aims to prevent and combat the social exclusion of children in need by guaranteeing access to different key services, e.g. early childhood education and care, education, healthcare or healthy nutrition and adequate housing. The European Commission has called on the EU Member States to establish a national action plan covering the period until 2030 to implement the European Child Guarantee.