Activities of Elisabeth GROSSMANN
Plenary speeches (4)
A stronger Europe for safer products to better protect consumers and tackle unfair competition: boosting EU oversight in e-commerce and imports (debate)
Findings of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Poland's abortion law (debate)
Use of rape as weapon of war, in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan (debate)
Recommendation to the Council on the EU priorities for the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women - EU priorities for the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (joint debate - EU priorities for the upcoming session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024
Institutional motions (1)
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the devastating floods in central and eastern Europe, the loss of lives and the EU’s preparedness to act on such disasters exacerbated by climate change
Written questions (2)
EU funds for Austria following the disastrous flooding in September 2024
Continued availability of operating grants under the 2025 EU4Health work programme
Amendments (26)
Amendment 2 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
– having regard to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted on 25 September 2015, in particular goals 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 and 16 thereof,
Amendment 12 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 48 a (new)
Citation 48 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution on the repressive environment in Afghanistan, including public executions and violence against women (2024/2617(RSP) - 14/03/2024)
Amendment 13 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 48 b (new)
Citation 48 b (new)
– having regard to the Findings of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Poland's abortion law (2024/2867(RSP))
Amendment 52 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. highlights the interdependence of women's rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and insists on that all EU Member States must fully respect EU values; emphasizes the necessity for the EU to uphold fundamental rights, particularly in its external relations, to remain a credible actor in both European and global contexts, especially concerning women and LGBTIQ individuals; in this context, notes the alarming rise of anti-gender, anti-democratic movements and homophobic initiatives and hate crimes within Member States; observes the increasing backsliding on gender equality, including the erosion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), which are fundamental rights, and emphasizes that attacks on women’s rights, women’s rights defenders, activists and journalists are a common tactic used by anti-democratic actors and to further undermine rights and freedoms both in the EU and globally
Amendment 57 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Strongly condemns and calls for decisive measures to eliminate the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and to protect and support its victims and enhance their access to justice; notes that, in accordance with UN SCR 1820 (2008), rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, or acts contributing to genocide; emphasizes the need to end impunity and calls for the EU and its Member States to actively support efforts towards ensuring accountability for war crimes within existing international courts and institutions;
Amendment 60 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. emphasizes that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are fundamental human rights that must be upheld globally and in the EU Member States and expresses deep concern over global setbacks in gender equality and SRHR; reaffirms that the denial of quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services constitutes a form of gender-based violence; stresses the importance of leading by example and reiterates calls to enshrine the right to legal and safe abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; urges the EU to prioritise access to SRHR as part of promoting human rights and achieving sustainable development goals; condemns the October 2020 decision of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and the Hungarian Government’s requirement for individuals seeking abortions to listen to a fetal heartbeat, calling for their immediate reversal; denounces all threats, attacks, and punishments against activists aiding women in accessing contraception or abortion, such as the condemnation of Justyna Wydrzynska in Poland in March 2023; stresses that the three-year inquiry by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women concluded that Poland’s near-total ban on abortion results in grave and systematic human rights violations including severe physical and mental suffering on women, which can even amount to torture;
Amendment 61 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. recalls that promotion of SRHR is a key principle under GAP III; calls for support for human rights defenders and civil society organisations advocating for and facilitating access to SRHR, whose efforts are increasingly threatened by a shrinking civil society space; highlights the necessity of gender-sensitive humanitarian aid to ensure it reaches the most vulnerable; advocates for universal access to SRHR services, particularly comprehensive family planning, contraception, unbiased information, antenatal, childbirth, and postnatal care, as well as HIV care, including PEP and PrEP medication; emphasizes that women and girls must have continuous access to SRHR during conflict and displacement, including safe delivery, family planning services, legal and safe abortions, and clinical management of rape; calls for funds to be allocated for essential and life-saving sexual and reproductive health services, in line with the UN Minimum Initial Services Package;
Amendment 62 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Expresses concern regarding the global prevalence of gender based violence, including female genital mutilation, child and forced marriages, femicides, honour-based violence, "morality policing," and the trafficking of women and girls; welcomes the EU's accession to the Istanbul Convention and encourages all European countries to implement its provisions; highlights the importance of recognising gender-based violence as an area of crime under Article 83 (1) TFEU; Reiterates that rape remains one of the most widespread human rights violations globally and stresses the importance of consent based rape legislation and comprehensive sexuality and relationships education in this regard and reiterates that rape on the basis of the lack of consent needs to be criminalised under EU law; urges to comply with the recommendation of the UN Special Rapporteur that a femicide watch initiative1a should be established (where it does not already exist) to monitor and highlight femicides, as a resource to improve policies, and to raise awareness of gender-based women killing as fatal manifestations on the continuum of violence against women, demands the recording of data in official homicide statistics. _________________ 1a WAVE https://wave-network.org/wp- content/uploads/WAVE_CountryReport20 23.pdf, p. 67;
Amendment 63 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4e. Emphasizes that women and girls experiencing intersecting forms of discrimination are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence and discrimination; highlights the ongoing discrimination faced by LGBTIQ individuals and urges the EU and its Member States to unequivocally condemn all forms of stigmatisation, hate crimes, hate speech, persecution, so-called "conversion therapies," intersex genital mutilation, corrective rape, and all other forms of violence;
Amendment 114 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Stresses the need for the climate actions, including the green transition to address existing gender inequalities to ensure that no one is left behind; reiterates that women are especially vulnerable to the climate change and related resource shortages, which exacerbates existing inequalities3a; stresses the importance of meaningful participation of women and girls in the climate action and building better climate resilience in the communities _________________ 3a https://eige.europa.eu/publications- resources/publications/good-practices- gender-mainstreaming-european-green- deal-towards-more-gender-equal-and- greener-europe, p 53
Amendment 137 #
2024/2081(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Highlights the significance of providing quality education for girls and ensuring equal opportunities as essential for women's empowerment and the full realisation of their rights; reiterates the necessity of age-appropriate, evidence- based comprehensive sexuality and relationships education and, both within the EU and beyond, to eliminate gender stereotypes and harmful societal norms; emphasise the need to strengthen women’s careers to further reduce the gender pay gap as well as the gender pension gap, which stand at 12,7% and 39% respectively. In this regard, emphasises that binding pay transparency rules, as will now be standard in the EU, are an important measure to close the gender pay and pension gap;
Amendment 1 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Article 8 TFEU mandstates that the Union toshall aim to eliminate inequalities and to promote gender equality between men and womenin all its activities, thereby establishing the principle of gender mainstreaming; whereas gender equality must be incorporated into all its activitieEU policies and activites, including via gender budgeting at all levels of the budgetary process; whereas equality is a fundamental right under the Treaty of Lisbon and a priority for the Union withand achieving gender equality is crucial to upholding these rights; whereas the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has a central role in supporting Union institutions and Member States in achieving that aim;
Amendment 4 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas EIGE’s core mission focuses on achieving gender equality in the EU by providing research, collecting and communicating data, and developing methods to improve statistics and data collection, measuring the state of gender equality at both EU and Member State levels, developing methodological tools and providing technical support for gender mainstreaming, and cooperating with EU institutions, it’s Member States, EU agencies, international organisations, academia, civil society and other stakeholders;
Amendment 7 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas in 2023 EIGE’s work focused on two thematic priorities: the European Green Deal and gender-based violence; whereas crises exacerbate women’s vulnerability and exposure to violence, intensifying existing structural inequalities and aggravating all types of gender-based violence, including physical, sexual and psychological; whereas the effectiveness of EIGE’s actions ofollowing the principle of gender mainstreaming, incorporating gender sensitive perspective, and researching the effect of all policies on women are crucial aspects of achieving gender equality; whereas in 2023 EIGE’s work focused on, among other areas, supporting the objective of a green and gender-equal Europe through the Green Deal, via the Gender Equality index, developing the good practises toolkit and awareness raising; whereas the focus on the Green Deal was appropriate; whereas in EIGE’s publication in October 2023 on Gender Balance in the European Green Deal, which neit was concludeds to be revised and updated to set achievable targets in general to achieve equality and support womenhat, in order to deliver the European Green Deal with a just and socially fair transition that leaves no one behind, additional efforts are needed to address the under- representation of women in key decision- making positions, especifically in the Union, is questionable, greater focus is required at the national level to honour both EU and national commitments to equal representation in positions of power;
Amendment 12 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas EIGE's work focused also on gender-based violence (GBV), by working on a EU wide survey on GBV to close the 10 year data gap on the prevalence of violence against women in the EU; whereas crises exacerbate women’s vulnerability and exposure to violence, intensifying existing structural inequalities and aggravating all types of gender-based violence, including physical, sexual, and psychological and cyberviolence; whereas EIGE continued to support gender mainstreaming efforts in the EU;
Amendment 20 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Has serious concerns that EIGE’s mission was diverted from improving equality by its focus on the European Green Deal; points out thatNotes EIGE’s continuous high level of budget execution, despite the persistent understaffing of the agency, with commitment appropriations of up to 98 % in and a payment appropriations rate of 83 %; congratulates EIGE for achieveding 92,.76 % of its work programme objectives;
Amendment 23 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that EIGE was established as EU’s knowledge centre on gender equality to produce independent research and share best practises to eliminate discrimination based on gender, combine research, data and tools to help EU and it’s Member States to design inclusive and gender-transformative policies and to mainstream gender equality into all their policies; highlights the urgency for the Union to advance on gender equality, in the light of ongoing crisis, such as climate crisis, wars, backlashes on gender equality and anti-gender and anti- democratic movements; in this regard, recalls that one in three women in the EU experience gender based violence during their lifetime, including physical, sexual and psychological violene or threats of violence1a; recalls that women are more severely affected by poverty and notes in that regard that gender pay gap in the EU is 13%1b and pension gender pension gap is 29%,1c effecting women’s societal wellbeing; notes that women in the EU also experience threats to their fundamental rights and bodily autonomy, as attacks against SRHR, including abortion rights persist; reiterates that women are also disproportionately affected by climate crisis and wars and conflicts; _________________ 1a https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/eu- gender_based_violence_survey_key_result s.pdf 1b https://commission.europa.eu/strategy- and-policy/policies/justice-and- fundamental-rights/gender- equality/equal-pay/gender-pay-gap- situation-eu_en 1c https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/product s-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20210203-1
Amendment 29 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the 8,5 % increase in EIGE’s staff costs can be attributed to the continued high inflation rate as well as a 2,7% indexation of salaries, and that the average number of staff remained at 45; notes that two contract agents were engaged and funded by the IPA contribution agreement with the Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations; acknowledges the persisting understaffing of EIGE and suggests that EIGE focus its work programme on violence against women and girls while deprioritizing actions related to the European Green Deal where necessary in ladditional staffing resources, including statuary staff, shall be allocated to EIGE in response to the increasing urgent demands, technical assistance, and requests for its services; further calls for increased budget allocations to support the Institute’s recruitment and research capabilities, enabling EIGE to better address subsequent crisis and the growing backlashes against gender equality, women's rights and rights of current staff capacitiesLGBTIQ+ persons, which disproportionately affect women;
Amendment 1 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas gender equality is a core value of the European Union as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union; whereas equality between men and women is one of the founding values of the Union and the Union is committed to promote gender equality in all its activities as enshrined in Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), thereby establishing the principle of gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting, and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 8 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Union has room for improvement in its approach to promoting equality through its policies, legislation, and funding mechanisms; whereas the European Parliament has repeatedly called on the Commission to promote and implement the use of gender mainstreaming, including gender budgeting and gender impact assessments, across all Union policies;
Amendment 10 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas gender equality in the Union has been negatively impacted by the consequences of backlashes against gender equality and women’s rights, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in several Member States, as well as by growing anti-gender movements, misogynistic trends, and the rising cost of living, which disproportionately affects women; whereas other ongoing crises, such as wars and the climate crisis, also disproportionately impact women; whereas these factors further deepen inequalities and hinder progress toward gender equality;
Amendment 24 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape with common minimum sanctions in national laws;include the gender perspective into all policy areas, budgets, and alleviation measures to advance women’s rights and gender equality; highlights the urgency for the Union to advance on gender equality, in the light of ongoing crises, such as climate crisis, wars, backlashes on gender equality, and anti- gender and anti-democratic movements; in this regard, recalls that one in three women in the EU experience gender based violence during their lifetime, including physical, sexual and psychological violence or threats of violence1a; stresses the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in the EU; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape with common minimum sanctions in national laws; reiterates that all non-consensual sex must be classified as rape in every EU Member State; _________________ 1a https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/eu- gender_based_violence_survey_key_result s.pdf
Amendment 30 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Repeats its concern at the interrelation between the attacks on the rule of law, democracy, and human rights and the backlash against gender equality and women’s rights; calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to strengthen the rule of law in the Union, and to explore the core mission of those to whom EU funds are granted and to withhold funding and ensure that EU funds are not made available to any entity that uses EU funds for the purposes of backsliding human rights, particularly women’s fundamental rights and gender equality, including SRHR, and women’s rights to bodily integrity, autonomy and self-determination; reiterates that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are fundamental human rights, and their realisation is a fundamental aspect of human dignity and a prerequisite for achieving gender equality;
Amendment 32 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Considers that civil society and NGOs play an instrumental role in shaping policies that benefit society and our environment; recalls the commitment of the Commission in its political guidelines to step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights; urges the Commission to revise its guidelines1a from May 2024 in order to ensure the continuation of the funding of NGO activities, including advocacy, under the LIFE programme; considers that discontinuation of this funding for all NGO activities would seriously undermine the voice of civil society in the public debate and would cause a severe reputational risk for the Commission; _________________ 1a Guidance on funding for activities related to the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of Union legislation and policy
Amendment 33 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is concerned about the growing financial risks due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on gender equality policies; highlights the need to prioritise policies that protect children, women and familieswomen; stresses that women in armed conflicts face disproportionate risks, including, but not limited to, conflict- related sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war; stresses that all alleviation measures shall hold gender equality at it’s core, protecting and supporting women and children; calls on the Commission to adopt a feminist foreign policy; emphasizes that women’s access to SRHR, including safe and legal abortion care in times of crisis, must never be jeopardized;
Amendment 53 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for a stable financing framework to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the Daphne Programme to support the protection of women and children against violence.; stresses the importance of strengthening the specifically dedicated Daphne Initiative by increasing its resources, particularly through measures aimed at combating all forms and levels of gender-based violence against women and girls and domestic violence;