{"id":16848,"date":"2025-05-13T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/?p=16848"},"modified":"2025-05-14T10:15:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T08:15:39","slug":"why-the-eu-must-prioritize-gender-equality-in-its-next-long-term-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/why-the-eu-must-prioritize-gender-equality-in-its-next-long-term-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the EU Must Prioritize Gender Equality in Its Next Long-Term Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>By Marija Risteska, GBWN Program Director<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When the European Union sets its long-term budget \u2014 officially known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) \u2014 it\u2019s doing more than allocating money. It\u2019s setting the tone for Europe\u2019s values, priorities, and global partnerships for the next generation.<\/p>\n<p>With the current MFF running until 2027, the EU is already beginning to shape its next financial framework, which will govern spending and policy priorities well into the 2030s. This is a critical window of opportunity. The decisions made now will impact everything from education and health to security and climate action \u2014 both within the EU and in its partnerships with countries around the world, including in the Western Balkans.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why the <a href=\"https:\/\/womensnetwork.org\/\">Kosovo Women\u2019s Network (KWN)<\/a>, a proud member of the Gender Budget Watchdog Network (GBWN), recently contributed to the public consultation on the next MFF. We called on the European Commission to make gender equality a central pillar of its future funding \u2014 not just in words, but in measurable, resourced actions.<\/p>\n<p>So what are we asking for, and why does it matter?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gender Equality: A Strategic Priority, Not a Side Note<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gender equality is not just a social issue \u2014 it\u2019s smart policy. Evidence from across the world shows that when women are economically empowered and included in decision-making, peace agreements last longer, economies grow faster, and communities become more resilient.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, EU funding instruments often overlook this truth in practice. Too often, gender considerations are either vaguely referenced or entirely missing from large-scale funding mechanisms. In many cases, civil society organizations (CSOs) \u2014 especially those led by and for women \u2014 frequently struggle to access meaningful support, despite their proven track record in building resilient, inclusive communities.<\/p>\n<p>The next MFF must change that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What KWN Recommends<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In our submission to the MFF public consultation, we made three key recommendations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Apply Gender-Responsive Budgeting Across All EU Funds<\/strong><br \/>\nThis means systematically considering how budget allocations and expenditures affect women and men differently, and adjusting them to promote equality. It also means requiring all programmes and projects to include gender equality objectives.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Earmark Funds for Women\u2019s CSOs \u2014 Including in Security Budgets<\/strong><br \/>\nAs the EU increases its spending on security, it must not neglect its commitments to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/eeas\/implementing-women-peace-and-security-agenda_en\">Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda<\/a>. Local women\u2019s organizations often play crucial roles in peacebuilding, early warning, and conflict prevention \u2014 areas that traditional security actors may not cover effectively.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Set Measurable Gender Equality Goals, Targets, and Indicators<\/strong><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>What gets measured gets done. The next MFF should include specific, measurable targets for gender equality, including output, outcome, and impact indicators. This would allow for transparent monitoring and accountability across all sectors \u2014 from agriculture to digital innovation to diplomacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Without measurable targets, a clear monitoring framework and accountability mechanisms, Western Balkan\u2019s gender-sensitive budgets risk becoming a well-intentioned promise that fails to deliver real change. This is exactly the kind of gap the EU should help address through its external funding tools.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why Now?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The next MFF will shape how the EU spends its money from 2028 onward \u2014 a critical decade for climate action, global stability, and digital transformation.<\/p>\n<p>The European Commission, under President Ursula von der Leyen\u2019s second mandate, has pledged to create a more focused, flexible, and impactful budget. It aims to become an &#8220;Investment Commission&#8221; \u2014 one that delivers on core strategic priorities. <strong>Gender equality must be one of those priorities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>As the EU rethinks its external action tools, especially in regions like the Western Balkans where it holds strong influence, it has both a responsibility and an opportunity to lead by example. It can show that inclusive, gender-responsive policies are not a luxury, but a prerequisite for sustainable development and democratic resilience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Moving Forward: What We Hope to See<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When the European Commission presents its proposals for the next MFF in 2025, we want to see a bold, unambiguous commitment to gender equality. This means:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dedicated budget lines for gender equality initiatives<\/li>\n<li>Mandatory gender impact assessments for all funding proposals<\/li>\n<li>Consistent engagement and dedicated funding for women\u2019s CSOs, especially in peace and security<\/li>\n<li>Integration of gender-sensitive indicators into all funding instruments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gender equality must not remain a side goal or a soft policy area. The EU cannot deliver on its strategic interests \u2014 be it peace, security, or sustainable development \u2014 without investing in gender equality. And that investment starts with the budget.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s make sure the next EU external action budget doesn\u2019t just talk about equality. Let\u2019s make sure it funds it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Marija Risteska, GBWN Program Director &nbsp; When the European Union sets its long-term budget \u2014 officially known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) \u2014 it\u2019s doing more than allocating money. It\u2019s setting the tone for Europe\u2019s values, priorities, and global partnerships for the next generation. With the current MFF running until 2027, the EU [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":16849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16848"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16857,"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16848\/revisions\/16857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbwn.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}