European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) is a standing committee of the European Parliament. It is responsible for the definition, promotion and protection of women's rights in the European Union and beyond, equal opportunities, the elimination of discrimination based on sex, gender mainstreaming across Union policies and legislation addressing gender-based violence.

Responsibilities

The committee is responsible for policy and legislation concerning women's rights and gender equality. It also works with other parliamentary committees to ensure that equality considerations are incorporated into legislation and budgetary decisions across different policy areas.

Its remit includes:

the definition, promotion and protection of women's rights in the European Union; equal opportunities and equality between women and men; the elimination of discrimination based on sex; gender mainstreaming in all policy sectors; the implementation and development of international agreements and conventions concerning women's rights; legislation and policy addressing violence against women and domestic violence; the economic independence of women and equality in employment; the gender pay and pension gaps; sexual and reproductive health and rights within the limits of Union competence; the representation of women in political, economic and public decision-making; and relations with EU bodies and international organisations working on gender equality.

Legislative and policy work

FEMM prepares reports and opinions on legislation affecting gender equality and women's rights. It may act as the lead committee or contribute an opinion to another committee where a proposal has a substantial gender-equality dimension.

The committee has worked on measures concerning pay transparency, gender balance on corporate boards, combating violence against women, trafficking and sexual exploitation, work–life balance, equality in employment and the integration of gender considerations into EU budgets and programmes.

Gender mainstreaming

Gender mainstreaming is the systematic consideration of the effects of policies and legislation on women and men. FEMM coordinates Parliament's work in this area and cooperates with other committees to incorporate gender-equality objectives into employment, health, education, external relations, development, digital policy, climate policy and the EU budget.

Violence against women

FEMM has a central role in Parliament's work on preventing and combating gender-based violence. Its activities cover domestic violence, sexual violence, harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, trafficking and online violence.

The committee monitors the implementation of EU legislation and international standards, including the Istanbul Convention, and cooperates with national parliaments, civil-society organisations and international institutions.

International Women's Day

Each year the committee organises events connected with International Women's Day, often together with national parliaments. These meetings focus on a specific aspect of women's rights and provide a forum for parliamentarians, experts and civil-society representatives.

Chairs

Name Political group Member state Took office Left office Eva-Britt Svensson GUE/NGL Sweden 2009 2011 Mikael Gustafsson GUE/NGL Sweden 2011 2014 Iratxe García Pérez S&D Spain 2014 2017 Vilija Blinkevičiūtė S&D Lithuania 2017 2019 Robert Biedroń S&D Poland 2019 2024 Lina Gálvez S&D Spain 2024 Incumbent

Members

10th Parliament, 2024–2029

The committee currently has 39 full members. Its composition is shown below, with the chair and vice-chairs indicated in italics.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Spain, Vice-Chair Csaba Bogdán, Hungary Arba Kokalari, Sweden Ewa Kopacz, Poland Eleonora Meleti, Greece Mirosława Nykiel, Poland Sirpa Pietikäinen, Finland Giusi Princi, Italy Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi, Greece Maria Walsh, Ireland Lina Gálvez, Spain, Chair Marko Vešligaj, Croatia, Vice-Chair Gabriela Firea, Romania Heléne Fritzon, Sweden Alessandra Moretti, Italy Maria Noichl, Germany Emma Rafowicz, France Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Poland Chiara Gemma, Italy Assita Kanko, Belgium Laurence Trochu, France Dainius Žalimas, Lithuania, Vice-Chair Abir Al-Sahlani, Sweden Valérie Devaux, France Lucia Yar, Slovakia Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Mathilde Androuët, France Elisabeth Dieringer, Austria Viktória Ferenc, Hungary Sebastian Kruis, Netherlands Margarita de la Pisa Carrión, Spain Mélissa Camara, France Alexandra Geese, Germany Benedetta Scuderi, Italy Irene Montero, Spain, Vice-Chair Elena Kountoura, Greece Carolina Morace, Italy Irmhild Boßdorf, Germany Non-Inscrits Fernand Kartheiser, Luxembourg Judita Laššáková, Slovakia

Substitute members

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe Paulo do Nascimento Cabral, Portugal Alma Ezcurra Almansa, Spain Loukas Fourlas, Cyprus Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Poland Jagna Marczułajtis-Walczak, Poland Verena Mertens, Germany Elena Nevado del Campo, Spain Manuela Ripa, Germany Liesbet Sommen, Belgium Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Lithuania Elisabeth Grossmann, Austria Maria Guzenina, Finland Marina Kaljurand, Estonia Sabrina Repp, Germany Cecilia Strada, Italy Carla Tavares, Portugal Marianne Vind, Denmark Elena Donazzan, Italy Beatrice Timgren, Sweden Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Poland Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Slovakia Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, Netherlands Billy Kelleher, Ireland Jana Toom, Estonia Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations Mieke Andriese, Netherlands Barbara Bonte, Belgium Mireia Borrás Pabón, Spain Susanna Ceccardi, Italy Anna Maria Cisint, Italy Catherine Griset, France Alice Bah Kuhnke, Sweden Katrin Langensiepen, Germany Anna Strolenberg, Netherlands Emma Fourreau, France Kathleen Funchion, Ireland Hanna Gedin, Sweden Christine Anderson, Germany Non-Inscrits Diana Iovanovici Șoșoacă, Romania

Research support

The committee is supported by the European Parliament's research services and policy departments. They provide studies, briefings and impact assessments on equality law, gender-based violence, employment, health, political representation, gender mainstreaming and the economic and social position of women.

European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

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