(11 December 2024) The landscape of EU external action is undergoing significant transformations, with shifting political priorities and a growing emphasis on security, economic growth and geopolitical positioning. This shift has profound implications for gender equality and the EU's role in advancing human rights globally. As the EU faces mounting challenges, including the rise of far-right populism and shrinking civil society space both in and outside Europe, it's crucial to maintain and strengthen the integration of human rights and gender equality into the EU’s international engagement strategies - principles that have long been central to the EU’s external policies. These principles are key to fostering sustainable development, promoting democratic values, and addressing global inequalities.
Global Setbacks and shifting EU Priorities
Under European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s external action priorities have shifted, largely due to pressure from right-wing governments within Member States and the changing geopolitical landscape. To strengthen the EU’s role as a ‘geopolitical player,’ von der Leyen has, for her second term, focused EU foreign policy even more on economic and security issues, while human rights and gender equality have taken a backseat.
As the EU shifts its priorities, the Global Gateway initiative has become a central tool for advancing economic and security objectives, framed as international cooperation. The initiative is branded around infrastructure development, diversifying supply chains, and opening new markets to boost the EU’s economic growth, but it largely operates in regions with stable conditions for economic investment, ignoring the specific needs of conflict and fragile states. However, this emphasis on economic aspects has overshadowed critical issues like gender equality and human rights. According to a recent report about who profits from the Global Gateway by Oxfam, Eurodad and Counterbalance, it is highly unclear whether the Global Gateway implements a progressive gender equality approach at all. If the EU fails to champion fundamental rights on the global stage, it risks enabling a global power dynamic where authoritarian and anti-rights agendas gain traction, further marginalising discriminated people and communities and eroding international standards on human rights and gender equality.
Meanwhile, the global situation for gender equality is worsening. Anti-gender and anti-rights movements, which are increasingly well-funded and well-organised, are undermining progress on women’s rights. A report written by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights showed that between 2009 and 2018, USD 707.2 million in funding for anti-gender initiatives originated from the United States, the Russian Federation, and Europe. At the same time, according to the OECD's 2024 report on development finance for gender equality, the share of official development assistance (ODA) allocated to gender equality has declined. While DAC members allocated USD 60.4 billion towards gender equality objectives in 2021-22, this represents a drop from 45% in 2019-20 to 42%. More concerning, 20 out of 32 DAC members reduced their focus on gender equality during this period. This decline in support for gender equality comes at a time when the world is facing rising poverty, inequality, conflict, and the worsening effects of climate change - all of which disproportionately affect women and girls in all their diversity. Furthermore, the shrinking of civil society space, with many women’s rights organisations facing increasing barriers to their work, makes it all the more urgent for the EU to step up its commitment to gender equality. At the same time, the EU has cut 2 bn euro from its development budget and several European Member States are making significant cuts to their development aid budgets. Countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium are reducing their official development assistance (ODA), which could harm the EU’s ability to meet its international commitments, including those related to gender equality. These budget cuts, paired with the growing influence of anti-rights movements, further threaten progress on women’s rights and gender equality.
What to Expect from the New Set of Commissioners on Gender Equality
The European Parliament's approval process for the new College of Commissioners included rigorous hearings where MEPs questioned candidates on their priorities. For Commissioner Jozef Sikela, responsible for international partnerships, gender equality came up as a secondary issue behind protecting the EU’s economic and security interests in his mission letter from Ursula von der Leyen. During his hearing, Sikela committed to continuing the EU Gender Action Plan III (GAPIII). However, his broader focus on economic development and security raised concerns about whether gender equality would remain central to the EU's development policy.
Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also faced scrutiny on gender equality during her nomination process. While she acknowledged its importance, civil soceity remained concerned about how much emphasis will be placed on it within the European External Action Service (EEAS), and whether it will not lose the competition with rising geopolitical priorities, such as the war in Ukraine. Kallas did commit to advocating for funding for women’s rights organisations (WROs) in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), offering a welcome lifeline for gender equality initiatives in the coming years. On a more positive note, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, in charge of Preparedness, Crisis management and Equality, made strong commitments to continue promoting gender equality and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights within the EU, without linking them to EU external action. However, with a very broad portfolio, it remains to be seen how successful she will be in making these issues a central part of EU policy. Overall, compared to the previous Commission, which was presented under the banner of "A Union of Equality," the current College of Commissioners shows a marked shift. Gender equality is now seen as less of a priority, overshadowed by a focus on hard power concerns like security, the economy, and geopolitics.
What’s at Stake: Key Moments Ahead
The stakes for gender equality in the EU's external action are higher than ever, with several critical moments on the horizon. The process begins on 8 March 2025, when Commissioner Lahbib will present a roadmap for women’s rights. This will set the tone for the EU’s next internal Gender Equality Strategy, replacing the current one. Crucially, this internal strategy should include a clear reference to the EU’s external work on gender equality, underscoring the need for an ambitious successor to GAPIII: a Gender Action Plan IV (GAPIV). Following this, the negotiations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), set to be adopted in 2026, will be a pivotal moment. It is essential to secure strong gender equality targets within the external funding pillar of the MFF. This includes dedicated funding for local women’s rights organisations, ensuring they remain integral actors in advancing gender equality globally.
In parallel, GAPIV will, hopefully, be under negotiation. While closely tied to funding, GAPIV must go far beyond it, maintaining a transformative, intersectional, and human rights-based approach. It needs to address structural inequalities and push for comprehensive action to uphold gender equality across all of the EU's external action. These processes will lay the groundwork for a broader vision of an Intersectional Feminist Foreign Policy (IFFP)—one that tackles the interlinked nature of gender inequality with other forms of discrimination, including for example based on ethnicity, class, age, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. The alignment of these strategies will ensure the EU retains its leadership role in promoting a just, equitable, and inclusive global order. While challenges persist, the EU has a clear opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to gender equality as a cornerstone of its external action. By leveraging these key moments, the EU can create a coherent and ambitious framework to address the increasing challenges faced by women and marginalised groups worldwide.