EU’s Gender Action Plan in building a European feminist foreign policy

08/02/2023

Written by Cassandre Impagliazzo.

Translated by Zoé Llacer.

No country in the world is expected to achieve gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls by 2030^[1]Commission européenne, (2020). Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council, EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment … Continue reading. In order to tackle structural inequalities, global feminist action thus seems necessary. In this regard, the European Union acts as a spokesperson for the feminist cause throughout the world, notably with its external action. The EU has, however, not yet developed a feminist foreign policy. This kind of politics, which has no universal definition, is defined by the International Center for Research on Women as follows: “Feminist foreign policy is the policy of a state that defines its interactions with other states and movements in a way that prioritises gender equality and enshrines the human rights of women and other traditionally marginalised groups, allocates significant resources to the realisation of this vision, and through its implementation seeks to disrupt patriarchal and masculine power structures across all of its levers of influence (aid, trade, defence and diplomacy), informed by the voices of feminist activists and movements^[2]Thompson, L., & Clement, R. (n.d.). DÉFINIR UNE POLITIQUE ÉTRANGÈRE FÉMINISTE [Review of DÉFINIR UNE POLITIQUE ÉTRANGÈRE FÉMINISTE]. ICRW.”.

Still, the EU has established several strategies for gender equality in recent years, such as the Gender Action Plan III (GAP III). This is the last one implemented for the period 2021-2025^[3]Occitanie Europe. (2020). L’UE publie son plan d’action pour l’égalité des sexes et droits des femmes dans les relations extérieures pour … Continue reading, following GAP I and II. It aims to ensure equality between women and men and the empowerment of women in external relations^[4]Occitanie Europe. (2020). L’UE publie son plan d’action pour l’égalité des sexes et droits des femmes dans les relations extérieures pour … Continue reading. Hence, can the EU Gender Action Plan III be considered as a first concrete step towards a European feminist foreign policy?

The European Union’s feminist action

There is evidence that policies that do not aim to end inequality cannot achieve lasting peace^[5]Schmidt J. (26 novembre 2021). Une politique étrangère féministe et verte pour l’UE. Green European Journal. www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/une-politique-etrangere-feministe-et-verte-pour-lue/ … Continue reading: gender equality is imperative for, among other things, good governance, peace, security, and economic growth^[6]Commission européenne, (2020). Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council, EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment … Continue reading. Moreover, as gender equality is one of the fundamental values of the European Union^[7]Ibid, as well as a universally recognised human right and one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG5)^[8]Objectifs de Développement Durable de l’ONU. (n.d.). Objectif 5 : Parvenir à l’égalité des sexes et autonomiser toutes les femmes et les … Continue reading, the EU must act in this direction. It is currently lagging behind in terms of feminist foreign policy, compared to some European countries such as France, Luxembourg, or Spain^[9]Schmidt J. (26 novembre 2021). Une politique étrangère féministe et verte pour l’UE. Green European Journal. www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/une-politique-etrangere-feministe-et-verte-pour-lue/.

Several actions are currently fuelling the EU’s feminist approach, the most emblematic of which are:

• The signature by all EU Member States, and the EU itself, of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence^[10]Commission européenne, (2020). Coup de projecteur sur l’action de l’Union européenne en faveur des femmes. https://op.europa.eu/webpub/com/factsheets/women/fr/;
• The 2018 Women, Peace and Security Programme, subsequently integrated into GAP III; the Strategy for Equality between Women and Men 2020-2025.
• The Horizon Europe Programme, a research and development programme that aims to find solutions to the global challenge of gender inequality and women’s empowerment^[11]Commission européenne, (2020). Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council, EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment … Continue reading;
• The Spotlight Initiative, launched in collaboration with the UN to eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls^[12]Spotlight initiative (n.d.). Ne laisser personne pour compte. https://www.spotlightinitiative.org/fr;
• Gender Action Plans. These were first introduced in 2009, through the adoption of GAP I, implemented over the period 2010-2015^[13]Commission Européenne, (2010). Commission Staff Working Document. EU Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development, 2010-2015.

GAP II was effective for the years 2016 to 2020^[14]Vila B. (31 juillet 2017). EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020. European Union Capacity4dev. https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/public-gender/wiki/eu-gender-action-plan-2016-2020. This action plan, unlike the previous one, introduced thematic pillars on which action was to be focused: ensuring the physical and psychological integrity of girls and women, promoting their social and economic rights and empowerment, and strengthening their voice and participation. These were supported by a horizontal theme: changing the institutional culture to meet EU commitments more effectively^[15]Vila B. (31 juillet 2017). EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020. European Union Capacity4dev. https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/public-gender/wiki/eu-gender-action-plan-2016-2020.

The Gender Action Plan III: taking gender equality values beyond the borders of the European Union

GAP III was established in 2020 for the years 2021-2025^[16]Commission européenne, (2020). Plan d’action sur l’égalité des sexes – Mettre les droits des femmes et des filles au cœur de la relance mondiale pour un monde où les hommes et les femmes … Continue reading and aims to contribute to the triple link between humanitarian, development, and peace^[17]Commission européenne, (2020). Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council, EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment … Continue reading. This third strand of the EU’s feminist action is based on five pillars:

1. Prioritise and mainstream gender equality in external action. According to the Commission “by 2025, 85% of all new external actions will contribute to this objective^[18]Commission européenne, (2020). Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council, EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment … Continue reading”.
2. Implement this action plan by working with Member States and partners at multilateral, regional and national level, collaborating with governments as well as with civil society and private actors.
3. Focus on key areas such as freedom from gender-based violence, promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights, empowerment of women and girls, advancing equal participation and leadership, implementing the women, peace, and security agenda, and addressing the challenges and opportunities of the green transition and the digital transformation.
4. To be a leading Europe that sets an example on this issue.
5. Communicate results while ensuring transparency^[19]Commission européenne, (2020). Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council, EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment … Continue reading.

GAP III’s work is based on three principles: a gender transformative approach that aims to change societal gender norms from an early age, mainly through partnerships with civil society and local communities; an intersectional approach, considering gender and the multiple discrimination faced by women, especially those from ethnic or religious minorities; and a human rights-based approach^[20]Commission européenne, (2020). Joint communication to the European Parliament and the Council, EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment … Continue reading.

The European Union clearly states its willingness to become a leader on the issue of gender equality and to set an example on the international scene. Thus, the European Commission should support gender budgeting, which consists in systematically promoting gender equality through the design of the EU budget. The aim would therefore be both to finance gender equality through gender equality initiatives and to analyse the impact that budgetary decisions have on gender equality^[21]Cour des comptes européenne (2021). Intégration de la dimension de genre dans le budget de l´UE: il est temps de joindre l´acte à la parole www.eca.europa.eu/fr/Pages/NewsItem.aspx?nid=15416.

At the national level, many implementation plans have been prepared, including for the Philippines, Gaza, Kosovo, Zambia, United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, and Lesotho^[22]European Union Action Service (n.d.). Country Level Implementation Plan for the Gender Action Plan III. … Continue reading. These implementation plans provide an overview of the gender equality situation in the country concerned, and then set out the selected areas of commitment and the objectives defined by the European Union, as well as the financial or material resources allocated to the implementation of GAP III in that country^[23]European Union Action Service (2022). Gender Action Plan III – 2021-2025: Country Level Implementation Plan – CLIP CAMBODIA [Plan d’Action Genre III – 2021-2025 : Plan de mise en oeuvre au … Continue reading.

The EU also supports regional projects such as the Union for the Mediterranean in its advocacy for women’s rights, the ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s and Children’s Rights, the Pacific Leaders Declaration on Equality, and the Montevideo Strategy for Gender Equality in Latin America. Similarly, the European Union acts multilaterally by co-leading the Generation Equality coalition, participating in the Generation Equality Forum, and advancing the issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment within the G7 or the G20^[24]Commission européenne, (2020). Together towards a gender equal world – EU Gender Action Plan III [Ensemble vers un monde d’égalité de genre – Plan d’action genre de l’UE III]..

The Gender Action Plan III already appears to be a success, with 70% of new EU external actions contributing to the goal of gender equality by 2022^[25]European Union Action Service. (25 novembre 2022). EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) – Second Anniversary [fichier vidéo]. http : www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pEyFz-e2zU. For example, after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the EU supported the establishment of a Forum for Afghan Women Leaders to enable them to participate in the political process^[26]Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan (2022). End violence against Women & Girls. www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/end-violence-against-women-girls_en?s=175. Nevertheless, there are still many shortcomings, and it seems that this gender action plan is not sufficient to achieve real structural change.

The possibility of a European feminist foreign policy

A structural change is needed if a European feminist external policy is to be achieved. There is not enough coherence between what is promoted externally and what is done internally, both within the European Union and within its Member States. Moreover, there are many shortcomings that may cast doubt on the EU’s true feminist intentions. The lack of representation of women in the EU institutions, with 70% of middle management positions and 80% of senior management positions in the European External Action Service (EEAS) occupied by men^[27]Schmidt J. (26 novembre 2021). Une politique étrangère féministe et verte pour l’UE. Green European Journal. www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/une-politique-etrangere-feministe-et-verte-pour-lue/ is a notable example. GAP III alone will not be enough to redress the EU’s trajectory in this direction. The hierarchies inherent in the EU institutions must evolve.

So, is the EU’s objective simply to implement a series of feminist programmes, or is it meant to truly initiate a paradigm and policy shift? The world order must be changed if the EU is to implement an effective feminist external policy. The relationship with the countries of the South needs to change from a dependency inherited from colonisation to an empowerment. The development of a feminist European foreign policy can therefore still be questioned, as the European Union faces many challenges. This feminist foreign policy should not be anchored in a white European perception of the countries of the North coming to the aid of the countries of the South. Women in the South must now be seen as agents of change, and not just as recipients of European humanitarian aid. A departure from Eurocentrism is thus necessary and this questioning of the current organisation of the world must be reinforced by greater cooperation of the EEAS with civil society and local communities^[28]communities.

Feminism alone will not be enough to conduct an effective feminist foreign policy^[29]House of European History. (21 juin 2022). Is a feminist foreign policy possible for the European Union? Dr Toni Haastrup lecture. [Fichier vidéo]. https : www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yLO2msQta0. The European Union needs to eradicate its patterns of sexist, racist and ableist oppression, which are still too present in the international system and difficult to dismantle, especially in an international organisation. Moreover, there is a risk of adopting an approach that simply adds women to decision-making processes, with a quantitative rather than qualitative approach^[30]Jacquot, S. et Mazur, A. (2014). Politiques publiques et genre. Dans Boussaguet L., Jacquot S. et Ravinet P. (dir.), Dictionnaire des politiques publiques (pp. 460-469). Presse de Sciences … Continue reading. According to researchers Katharine Wright, Roberta Guerrina, Toni Haastrup and Annick Masselot, this ‘add women and stir’ approach can be counterproductive if it does not at the same time address past and present patterns of exclusion and oppression^[31]Wright K., Guerrina R., Haastrup T., Masselot A., (n.d.). Building ‘Feminist Power Europe’? On the possibilities and missed opportunities of feminist foreign policy. The Loop. ECPR’s Political … Continue reading. Thus, it is necessary to ensure that the whole of foreign policy is infused with gender equality in a cross-cutting way, considering other challenges such as climate change, migration or security.

All EU policies must now be transformative: the EU must make a choice between respecting a feminist ethic or protecting its interests as they currently exist. For example, the focus is currently on certain foreign policies that are considered priorities, to the detriment of feminist initiatives, such as certain military spending or trade programmes. Unfortunately, while GAP III does announce that it will take intersectionality into account, the results are not forthcoming.

Finally, as the term feminist foreign policy has no universal definition to date, a multiple and varying view of feminism and feminist foreign policy in different Member States could be a further obstacle to the adoption of an effective European feminist foreign policy^[32]House of European History. (21 juin 2022). Is a feminist foreign policy possible for the European Union? Dr Toni Haastrup lecture. [Fichier vidéo]. http : www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yLO2msQta0. Indeed, some EU Member States already challenge almost all texts referring to gender equality^[33]Schmidt J. (26 novembre 2021). Une politique étrangère féministe et verte pour l’UE. Green European Journal. www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/une-politique-etrangere-feministe-et-verte-pour-lue/. For example, the anti-gender discourse has intensified in Hungary since 2014^[34]Kováts, E. (26 novembre 2020). Le discours anti-genre en Hongrie : une stratégie au service de l’État illibéral (R. Kuhar & D. Paternotte, Eds.). OpenEdition Books; Presses universitaires … Continue reading, notably through the suppression of public funding for gender studies in 2018^[35]June W. et Guerin M. (28 juin 2021). L’Union européenne est-elle apte à lutter contre les inégalités de genre ? Eyes on … Continue reading, and abortion has been banned again in Poland since 2020^[36]Pologne : depuis un an, l’avortement presque totalement interdit (n.d.). Amnesty International. www.amnesty.fr/droits-sexuels/actualites/pologne–depuis-un-an-lavortement-presque-totalement, except in cases where the health of the pregnant woman is in danger, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape^[37]Pologne. La régression en matière d’accès à l’avortement porte préjudice aux femmes (26 janvier 2022). Amnesty … Continue reading. In line with this, Hungary and Poland have expressed strong reluctance towards GAP III^[38]Vos C. (15 décembre 2020). Egalité des sexes dans l’action extérieure de l’UE : un nouveau plan d’action sur fond de tensions. www.cncd.be/egalite-sexes-action-exterieure-europe-tensions. Similarly, while the EU and all its Member States have signed the Istanbul Convention, the EU and some of these countries have still not ratified it^[39]Kadlcikova E. (28 novembre 2022). La Commission appelle à l’adoption d’une directive sur la violence à l’égard des … Continue reading. The conservative turn of some European countries and the disparities in terms of gender inequality within these Member States could be a real brake^[40]June W. et Guerin M. (28 juin 2021). L’Union européenne est-elle apte à lutter contre les inégalités de genre ? Eyes on … Continue reading. The GAP III therefore seems to be a good step towards the creation of a feminist foreign policy, but unfortunately insufficient: it must be accompanied by structural change.

Structural changes needed in the European Union for an effective feminist foreign policy.

While it is positive that the European Union is leading the way on the issue of gender equality around the world and that the idea of a European feminist foreign policy is emerging, the European feminist approach must go beyond the simple gender equality proposed by GAP III. The EU must respect the values of feminism, which make feminist foreign policies conducive to peace and security.

Changes must also and above all take place internally, within the European institutions and the Member States. The European Union must therefore be prepared to question the social inequalities it perpetuates and maintains, both internally and externally, inequalities that combine gender and other discriminations linked to social class, race, and sexuality. Without this questioning, a feminist European foreign policy would not achieve its objectives.