European women's lobby
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1990, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL)http://www.womenlobby.org/site/hp.asp?langue=EN is an NGO and the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations in the European Union (EU), working to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men. As of November 2009, EWL membership extends to organisations in all 27 EU member states and the three candidate countries, as well as to 21 European-wide bodies, representing a total of more than 2500 organisations.
With a Secretariat based in Brussels, Belgium, the EWL is one of the longest-standing European level NGOs, and works closely with European Institutions and civil society partners. At the international level, the EWL has consultative status at the Council of Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and participates regularly in the activities of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
The EWL's mission is to work towards the promotion and respect for women’s human rights, by supporting diversity among women and equality between women and men. The EWL seeks to voice the concerns of its member organisations across Europe by means of active policy and advocacy work, project-management, monitoring and awareness-raising across different policy areas. These include women’s economic and social position, women in decision-making, sexual and reproductive health and rights, immigration, integration and asylum. The EWL, through its European Policy Action Centre on Violence Against Women (EPAC-VAW), also works to combat all forms of violence against women. The EWL's EPAC-VAW also manages a dedicated European Observatory on this issue. Furthermore, the EWL supports the use of gender mainstreaming for the effective incorporation of a women's rights perspective into all European policies.
to ‘lend its support for the organisation in early 1988 of a meeting with a view to the implementation of such a structure’. Support was granted and the European Women’s Lobby and its secretariat in Brussels were formally established in 1990. The EWL was founded in 1990 by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands
and the United Kingdom
national coordinations and 17 large European-wide women’s organisations.
At the time just twelve countries formed the European Union
, then known as the European Communities (EC). Over the years, as new Member States joined the EC, new national co-ordinations became members of the EWL. While the EU enlarged to countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the EWL established links and cooperation with women’s organisations in these countries and successfully continues to welcome new national members every year.
The EWL currently has national co ordinations in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,Cyprus, the Czech Republic
, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. 21 European-wide member organisations are also members of the EWL. All these represent approximately 2500 direct member organisations.
The European Women’s Lobby was created in response to a growing awareness of the need to defend women’s interests at European level since:
The creation of the EWL was therefore linked to the creation of a new form of public space
at European level and a new form of interaction between citizens and political officials.
European Policy Action Centre on Violence Against Women website http://www.epacvaw.org/
European Women's Lobby 50/50 Campaign 'No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality' http://www.5050democracy.eu - The 50/50 Campaign for Democracy led by the EWL in 2008-2009 seeks to ensure the equal representation of women and men in the European Institutions.
European Campaign for a strong new United Nations Women’s agency http://www.un-gear.eu/
Nordic Baltic project website http://www.nordicbaltic-assistwomen.net/ - The Nordic-Baltic Pilot Project is a three year programme that aims to strengthen the cooperation and develop concrete activities to support and assist women victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in the region.
European Parliament Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee
With a Secretariat based in Brussels, Belgium, the EWL is one of the longest-standing European level NGOs, and works closely with European Institutions and civil society partners. At the international level, the EWL has consultative status at the Council of Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and participates regularly in the activities of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
The EWL's mission is to work towards the promotion and respect for women’s human rights, by supporting diversity among women and equality between women and men. The EWL seeks to voice the concerns of its member organisations across Europe by means of active policy and advocacy work, project-management, monitoring and awareness-raising across different policy areas. These include women’s economic and social position, women in decision-making, sexual and reproductive health and rights, immigration, integration and asylum. The EWL, through its European Policy Action Centre on Violence Against Women (EPAC-VAW), also works to combat all forms of violence against women. The EWL's EPAC-VAW also manages a dedicated European Observatory on this issue. Furthermore, the EWL supports the use of gender mainstreaming for the effective incorporation of a women's rights perspective into all European policies.
History: when, by whom and why
It all started in London in November 1987 when 120 women, member of 85 organisations representing 50 millions individual members, came together and adopted two resolutions. The first called for the ‘creation of a structure for influence, open to all interested women’s organisations, to exert pressure on European and national institutions to ensure better defence and representation of women’s interest’. In a second resolution, the delegates called upon the European CommissionEuropean Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
to ‘lend its support for the organisation in early 1988 of a meeting with a view to the implementation of such a structure’. Support was granted and the European Women’s Lobby and its secretariat in Brussels were formally established in 1990. The EWL was founded in 1990 by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
national coordinations and 17 large European-wide women’s organisations.
At the time just twelve countries formed the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, then known as the European Communities (EC). Over the years, as new Member States joined the EC, new national co-ordinations became members of the EWL. While the EU enlarged to countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the EWL established links and cooperation with women’s organisations in these countries and successfully continues to welcome new national members every year.
The EWL currently has national co ordinations in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,Cyprus, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. 21 European-wide member organisations are also members of the EWL. All these represent approximately 2500 direct member organisations.
The European Women’s Lobby was created in response to a growing awareness of the need to defend women’s interests at European level since:
- Equality between women and men is one of the missions of the European Union, which has a strong competence to adopt legislation in this area affecting all women and men living in Europe.
- The scope of the European Union’s activities were and continue to be extending and affect areas with a direct impact on women’s daily lives, particularly with the establishment of the internal marketInternal marketAn internal market operates inside an organization or set of organizations which have decoupled internal components. Each component trades its services and interfaces with the others. Often a set of government or government-funded set of organizations will operate an internal market...
. - It became urgent for women and their organisations to participate in the programmes established by the Union and to get acquainted with European legislation affecting them.
- The creation of such an organisation and its designation of lobbying also corresponds to the particular character of the European-level decision-making process, which allows space for the creation of many organisations, founded to represent all types of interest groups and categories of the public (including various economic sectorsEconomy (activity)An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
as well as trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s, professional and social grouping). - These organisations were responding to a real need on the part of the European institutions. Contrary to perceived ideas, the number of European officials is low, with only around 24000 people comprising the whole of the European Commission for example. The institutions therefore often call on experts in the course of their work, due in particular to the diversity of the Member States’ people and legislation.
- As decision-makers within the European institutions are not directly elected by the citizens, with the exception of the European Parliament, the creation of and organisation such as EWL also corresponds to the need to fill the democratic gap between the EU institutions and the citizens.
The creation of the EWL was therefore linked to the creation of a new form of public space
Public space
A public space is a social space such as a town square that is open and accessible to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. One of the earliest examples of public spaces are commons. For example, no fees or paid tickets are required for entry, nor are the entrants...
at European level and a new form of interaction between citizens and political officials.
Aims of the European Women’s Lobby
The European Women’s Lobby, through its member organisations, aims:- To support the active involvement of women in working to achieve equality between women and men ensuring the representation of women form different parts of the European region.
- To support national members through information, lobbying resources and training to actively engage with EU policy shaping and implementation of legislation at national level.
- Through analysis, evaluation and monitoring to provide regular input on all areas of EU policy development and implementation that have an impact on women’s lives and on the promotion of equality between women and men with specific reference to the Roadmap for equality between women and men and to the United Nation Beijing Platform for Action on Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
- To monitor and raise awareness about the development and implementation of gender mainstreamingGender mainstreamingGender mainstreaming is the public policy concept of assessing the different implications for women and men of any planned policy action, including legislation and programmes, in all areas and levels...
in order to ensure the full integration of women’s rightsFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, interests and perspective in all areas of EU policy. - To take into account the needs and perspective of different groups of women, and the diverse experiences of women at all stages of their life cycle. These actions take place both in its internal policy and organisational development as well as in developing partnerships and joint working relationships with organisations that represent the many women that face multiple discrimination in the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and globally.
Policy areas of the European Women’s Lobby
- Women in Decision Making http://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=16&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=16
- Social Policy and Employmenthttp://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=19&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=19
- European Gender Equality Policies and Legislationshttp://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=15&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=15
- Women's Diversity and Anti-Discriminationhttp://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=20&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=20
- Migration and Asylumhttp://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=534&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=534
- Fundamental Rights within the European Unionhttp://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=21&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=21
- Revision of European Treatieshttp://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=18&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=18
- International Action for Human Rights/United Nationshttp://www.womenlobby.org/site/1Template1.asp?DocID=22&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=&parentCat=22
- Violence Against Women http://www.womenlobby.org/site/module_cate.asp?DocID=565&v1ID=&RevID=&namePage=&pageParent=&DocID_sousmenu=
- Women and the Media
External links
European Women's Lobby website http://www.womenlobby.orgEuropean Policy Action Centre on Violence Against Women website http://www.epacvaw.org/
European Women's Lobby 50/50 Campaign 'No Modern European Democracy without Gender Equality' http://www.5050democracy.eu - The 50/50 Campaign for Democracy led by the EWL in 2008-2009 seeks to ensure the equal representation of women and men in the European Institutions.
European Campaign for a strong new United Nations Women’s agency http://www.un-gear.eu/
Nordic Baltic project website http://www.nordicbaltic-assistwomen.net/ - The Nordic-Baltic Pilot Project is a three year programme that aims to strengthen the cooperation and develop concrete activities to support and assist women victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in the region.
European Institutions
European Commission and Gender equalityEuropean Parliament Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee