How to build a feminist Europe? The challenges posed by the far right in the wake of the European elections
At a time when far-right parties are gaining influence across the European Union, Equipop is publishing on December 10, 2024, a new report offering an in-depth analysis of political and institutional dynamics six months after the European elections.
At the end of the 2024 elections, one could wrongly believe that the balances of the European Parliament have been preserved, with the European Popular Party and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats maintaining their positions as the first and second largest political groups. But the reality is much more complex when we analyze these results in the light of women’s rights and gender equality.
Our new report takes stock of the post-election situation, analyzing the strategies of far-right parties, the media coverage of the elections, the composition of the new European Parliament and the new power relations at play. It then offers an in-depth analysis of European far-right parties, highlighting the dangers of their unity around reactionary, racist and sexist ideologies. Finally, Equipop identifies numerous concrete levers for action to advance women’s and LGBTQIA+ people’s rights within a European Union transformed by a historic rise of far-right parties.
An alarming political reconfiguration for the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people
- Historic rise of far-right parties, particularly in EU founding countries (e.g. France, Italy, Germany).
- A strengthened alliance between right-wing and far-right parties, threatening the traditional “cordon sanitaire”.
- Women’s rights more than ever instrumentalized in the European election campaign.
Equipop warns of the impact of these dynamics, notably the questioning of funding dedicated to gender equality, the instrumentalization of feminist struggles for racist ends, and the abolition of the post of Equality Commissioner in the new European Commission.
What place will be given to funding for gender equality when the next European budget is negotiated? How will issues such as the inclusion of abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights be taken forward?
Avenues for action to build a feminist Europe
Despite this reactionary backlash, we would like to highlight some levers for action that progressive forces must seize:
- Promoting a gender perspective in all of the European Commission portfolios
- Securing funding for gender equality
- Building upon the tools and progress of the European Union
- Maintaining a progressive European voice within multilateral bodies
- Changing how the European far right is treated in the media
Call for media: deconstructing far-right rhetoric
The report also addresses the European media, which play a key role in the perception and dissemination of political ideas. Equipop stresses the urgent need to :
- Refuse to become sounding boards for racist and anti-gender discourse.
- Deconstruct the hateful and sexist narratives of the extreme right.
- Equip citizens to demand policies in favor of equality.
A report written by Equipop in cooperation with the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Paris organisation