Parliament to review the safety of women online

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

From 9 to 15 December, EP committees and delegations will discuss how to enhance women’s empowerment in the digital world as part of the fifth European Gender Equality Week.

The fifth European Gender Equality Week will include several debates and events under the common theme of “The Digital World: Safety and Empowerment”. MEPs will address gender equality issues in different policy areas, focusing on the opportunities as well as challenges faced by women online, as illustrated in this video statement by Antonella Sberna (ECR, Italy), EP Vice-President responsible for Gender Equality Week.

Ahead of this annual event, Parliament President Roberta Metsola highlighted recent legislative achievements in the field of gender equality, including the Directive on Violence Against Women. President Metsola said work on equality can go further, by focusing on the digital skills and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education of women and girls, and improving their safety in online and offline spaces. “The European Parliament is committed to achieving a fair and equal Europe for all. Every woman must feel safe and empowered wherever they go, be it offline or online”, said President Metsola. Watch the full statement here.

As highlighted in a video by Chair Lina Gálvez (S&D, Spain), the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee will hold several events, including a hearing with the Civil Liberties Committee on Thursday to discuss how to secure gender equality and women’s rights in the digital space. On the same day, Carlien Scheele, Director of European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), will present the latest Gender Equality Index to the Women’s Rights Committee.

Eliminating violence against women and empowering them online

On Wednesday, Vice-President Sberna and Chair Gálvez will join Ewa Kopacz, Vice-President of the European Parliament chairing the High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity, and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Former Prime Minister of Spain, in an online debate on eliminating violence against women and empowering them in the digital world. Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, will also contribute a video message. You can follow the event here.

In connection with Gender Equality Week, on Monday 2 December, MEPs in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy discussed the effects of digitalisation and artificial intelligence on gender equality. On Tuesday 3 December, the Committee on Culture and Education explored policy measures aimed at addressing and preventing discrimination and gender-based violence in sports, followed by a screening of the LUX Audience Award 2025 shortlisted film Julie Keeps Quiet on Wednesday evening.

Read more about these and other events and follow them live on the EP Multimedia Centre.

Background

Each year, the European Parliament hosts Gender Equality Week to assess progress, highlight achievements, and identify new actions to promote the rights of women and girls and achieve gender equality. The events are organised by Parliament’s committees, delegations, political groups, and administration. It was first launched in 2020 by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.