opinion parliamentary committee draft, 24 November 2025
On discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, Section I - European Parliament
Document FEMM-PA-779773 · (2025/2146(DEC))
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality · Rapporteur: Raquel García HermidaVan Der Walle
AI:In short
The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to include its proposals in the discharge resolution for Parliament's 2024 budget, focusing on gender equality. It welcomes the 2025 Gender Action Plan and gender budgeting, urges implementation, and calls for measures to address women's underrepresentation, harassment, and lack of parental leave for Members.
Position. The opinion proposes that the Committee on Budgetary Control incorporate these gender equality measures into its motion for a resolution on Parliament's 2024 budget discharge.
Key points
- Calls for the 2025 Gender Action Plan to be public, swiftly implemented, and thoroughly assessed, and for consistent gender budgeting in Parliament's budget.
- Calls on the President to evaluate the drop in female Members in 2024 and fund campaigns encouraging women to enter EU politics.
- Calls on national parties to adopt zipped lists and quotas to improve women's representation.
- Requests targeted emotional and legal support for Members confronted with harassment and hate.
- Calls on the President and the Bureau to improve gender balance across committees, including considering gender quotas for coordinators, rapporteurs, and shadow rapporteurs.
- Welcomes proxy voting for female Members before and after birth and calls for extending it to all new parents and establishing maternity, paternity, and parental leave for Members.
Who is affected
- European Parliament Members, especially female Members and new parents, who would gain support and leave rights.
- National political parties, which are called to adopt zipped lists and quotas.
Figures and deadlines
Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Full text
Opinion 12 paragraphs
The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:
A.whereas gender equality is an EU value and the Union is committed to promoting it in all activities;
B.whereas under Rule 249, the Bureau shall adopt a gender action plan to integrate a gender perspective into all Parliament’s activities;
C.whereas women remain under-represented in decision-making; whereas the 2024 elections reversed earlier gains, with 278 women (39 %) elected, slightly down from 2019;
D.whereas female politicians face higher levels of hate and intimidation than male counterparts;
E.whereas women are still underrepresented in some committees and overrepresented in others;
F.whereas Parliament has not established parental leave for Members, despite allowing proxy voting for female Members before and after childbirth;
1.Welcomes progress on gender mainstreaming and budgeting and the adoption of the 2025 Gender Action Plan; calls for it to be public, swiftly implemented and thoroughly assessed; urges consistent gender budgeting in Parliament’s budget;
2.Calls on the President to evaluate the drop in female Members in 2024 and fund campaigns encouraging women to enter EU politics; calls on national parties to adopt zipped lists and quotas;
3.Requests targeted emotional and legal support for Members confronted with harassment and hate;
4.Calls on the President and the Bureau to improve horizontal representation and gender balance across committees, including considering gender quotas for coordinators, rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs;
5.Welcomes the position on proxy voting for female Members before and after birth; calls for extending proxy voting to all new parents and for establishing maternity, paternity and parental leave for Members.