European Union

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that he will submit any potential peace deal with Russia to a popular vote in Ukraine. A referendum is necessary because the results of negotiations with Russia on the fate of Ukraine could be "historic", Zelensky said. Commentators react with cautious approval.

Media are invited to the plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe taking place on 25 - 26 March in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Media are invited to the plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe taking place on 25 - 26 March in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Written by Clare Ferguson.

Meeting in plenary for the third time this month, Members are set to return to voting in person in the chamber for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. A number of issues concerning new technologies are on the agenda, such as blockchain and roaming charges. Members are nevertheless most likely to focus on the subject of the Russian war on Ukraine, following a joint debate on the results of the recent European Council meeting in Versailles, and in preparation for the next meeting on 24‑25 March 2022. Members will also hear Council and European Commission statements on a possible EU action plan to ensure food security in light of the Russian invasion (agricultural products imported from Ukraine represent 4.6 % of all EU agri-food imports). The Council and Commission will also update Members on proposals to ensure a more affordable, secure and sustainable energy supply.

The Parliament has long stressed that corruption threatens democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law, and undermines citizens’ trust in the EU and its institutions. The sanctions necessitated by Russia’s war on Ukraine have highlighted the presence of Russian oligarchs and oligarchic structures on EU territory. Denouncing the current situation, especially in certain countries where EU funding is sometimes diverted to such persons (and not just Russians), Parliament’s Budgetary Control (CONT) Committee has adopted a hard-hitting own-initiative report highlighting the need to protect EU funding against the risks of fraud and conflict of interest. On Wednesday, Members are expected to consider the committee’s motion for a resolution, which particularly condemns the use of EU agricultural funding for personal benefit, and warns against the threat to EU values of allowing oligarchs to gain control over the media and the judiciary.

Moldova has found itself on the frontline in Russia’s most recent aggression against its neighbours. The country has experienced Russian interference in its own democratic process in recent years, added to an economic downturn exacerbated by the pandemic. Moldova has nevertheless opened its borders to welcome large numbers of Ukrainian refugees. The country enjoys good political and economic relations with the EU, and signed association and free trade agreements with the bloc – Moldova’s largest trading partner – in 2014. The EU has provided €160 million in EU macro-financial assistance since 2017. Moldova has requested further assistance, and on Wednesday, Members are scheduled to consider a European Commission proposal (from before the outbreak of the war) starting to allocate €30 million in grants and up to €120 million in medium-term loans.

Parliament is always keen to encourage technological solutions that benefit citizens in their daily lives. On Wednesday, Members are expected to debate an agreement reached between the co-legislators on a pilot regime developing trading and transactions in crypto-assets – usually known as cryptocurrencies (such as bitcoin and ethereum). Parliament is in favour of encouraging crypto-assets, as long as they do not pose a risk to financial stability, transparency or market integrity, or permit legal loopholes. Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) therefore proposes to set stricter limits on trading with crypto-assets. The current proposal allows market capitalisation of less than €500 million in shares and issuance of up to €1 billion in bonds. Should Parliament decide to formally adopt the agreed text, it will go to Council for final approval.

Now that travel is getting back to normal, Members are scheduled to return to the issue of extending current EU legislation on roaming charges on Wednesday. In interinstitutional negotiations on the proposal to revise the rules to increase transparency and network quality, Parliament succeeded in capping the wholesale roaming charges at €2 per gigabyte from this year, with a progressive reduction to reach €1 in 2027. Once the Parliament and Council both formally adopt the provisional agreement reached between the co-legislators, citizens should be able to ‘roam like at home’ for a further 10 years.

• Pilot regime on distributed ledger technology market infrastructure
• Recast of the EU Roaming Regulation
• Macro-financial assistance to Moldova
• Protecting EU funds against oligarchic structures

The EU issued a declaration strongly condemning the ruling by Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court, to extend the imprisonment of the Russian opposition politician Mr Alexei Navalny by an additional 9 years.

Today the EU’s general affairs ministers reached political agreement (a partial general approach) on the recast of the regulation on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations.

Leaders seen agreeing joint gas purchases at EU summit but they won't limit or ban purchases of Russian energy amid a split between member states.

Written by Suzana Anghel and Ralf Drachenberg.

On 24-25 March 2022, EU Heads of State or Government will meet for the third time in five weeks. In the presence of the United States President, Joe Biden, they will discuss developments in and support for Ukraine, in the context of the unprovoked Russian invasion of the country. Building on their Versailles Declaration of 10-11 March, EU leaders will take further steps aimed at strengthening European sovereignty in the field of security, defence and energy security. As regards security and defence, the European Council will endorse the EU Strategic Compass, call for its implementation, and give further guidelines for the deepening of European defence cooperation. With respect to energy, EU leaders will consider means to counter the current spike in energy prices, consider gas storage capacities and planning in view of the next winter and resume discussions on phasing out EU dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Furthermore, the European Council will take stock of coordination efforts in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, appraise the European Semester, and review initiatives designed to build a more robust economic base and reduce the EU’s strategic dependence in the most sensitive areas. Under external relations, items on the agenda will include the preparation of the forthcoming EU-China Summit and the political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Council will be followed by a Euro Summit meeting on 25 March.

1. European Council agenda points

The indicative 2021-2022 Leaders’ Agenda, updated at the December 2021 European Council meeting, had outlined security and defence, economic recovery, the social agenda, the European Semester, and the single market and industrial policy as topics for the March European Council meeting. While security and defence, and the European Semester, were already on the provisional agenda, the war in the Ukraine and energy prices have been added as a result of current events.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has prepared for this meeting by using his own ‘Michel method’, which involves video-conferences with small groups of four to six EU leaders ahead of the summit to prepare the ground. This approach provides Mr Michel with an opportunity to express his intentions as to the result he is seeking to obtain and to gain an insight into individual national leaders’ views on certain agenda points, thus reducing surprises at the meeting itself.

Charles Michel’s (first) term as European Council President comes to an end on 30 May 2022. Given that, since 2009, the (re-)election of the European Council President has taken place at the last formal European Council meeting before the end of the mandate, it can be expected that EU leaders will take a decision on the next European Council President. In line with tradition, for this agenda point, the Head of State or Government holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, currently the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, will take the chair.

Having already attended two informal meetings of Heads of State or Government, this will be the first formal European Council meeting for Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. Following Ms Metsola’s opening address, President Macron, again on behalf of the country holding the six-month rotating presidency, is expected to provide an overview of progress made in implementing previous European Council conclusions.

2. European Council meeting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

EU leaders will again discuss Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, this time in the presence of United States (US) President Joe Biden. They are expected to reaffirm transatlantic unity and stress solidarity with Ukraine. The discussions may also green light a fifth round of sanctions, including on oil and coal but probably not on gas. The European Council will most probably consider the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country. This is a matter of grave concern for the international community, as over 3 million Ukrainians have fled the country in the three weeks since Russia’s invasion began. The leaders will also once more consider assistance for EU and non-EU frontline countries, which are facing an unrelenting influx of refugees. Furthermore, EU leaders will most probably reiterate their call to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency. For the first time, EU leaders may consider Union support for reconstruction, which should go hand in hand with peace preparation efforts and could double the EU support offered to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility since the start of the war.

Three EU leaders, the Prime Ministers of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, Czechia, Petr Fiala, and Slovenia, Janez Janša, met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Kyiv on 15 March 2022. The visit, aimed at expressing EU support for Ukraine, its sovereignty and independence, was the first by Western leaders since Russia’s invasion began, and the other European Council members knew of it in advance. Petr Fiala emphasised that Ukraine was ‘also fighting for our lives’, while Mateusz Morawiecki stressed that a Europe that loses Ukraine ‘will no longer be Europe’ but ‘a defeated, humiliated and pathetic version of its former self’. At their meeting in Versailles, EU leaders recognised the ‘European aspirations and the European choice of Ukraine’, with public opinion polls showing clear European public condemnation of Russia’s invasion and support for Ukraine’s request for membership.

The Russian Federation was excluded from the Council of Europe – the pan-European organisation upholding human rights – by a decision of the organisation’s Committee of Ministers on 16 March. Russia had already initiated the procedure to leave in a pre-emptive attempt to avoid being excluded. Back in 2016, Russia withdrew from joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the time when the Court began investigating war crimes in South Ossetia following Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia. In March 2022, the ICC opened an investigation into ‘alleged crimes committed in the context of the situation in Ukraine since 21 November 2013’, which would allow it to investigate ‘war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine’.

In parallel, on 16 March 2022, in the Ukraine v.Russian Federation case, the International Court of Justice considered Ukraine’s request for an indication of provisional measures and ordered Russia ‘to suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine’. The Court reaffirmed the binding effect of its order, which creates ‘international legal obligations for any party to whom the provisional measures are addressed’.

Security and defence

Security and defence have been a rolling item on the agenda of the European Council for the past six months. EU leaders last discussed security and defence at their informal Versailles meeting, where they adopted a declaration and issued new strategic guidelines for the further development and deepening of European defence cooperation. At their spring meeting, the leaders are expected to endorse the Strategic Compass, which has recently been reviewed at their request, adding more robust language on the threat posed by Russia to European security in light of the war in Ukraine. The Strategic Compass, which was drafted with a view to providing a common perspective on the security threats and challenges facing the EU, is expected to lend further impetus to the EU’s bid to become a security and defence actor. The purpose is for the EU to be able to protect its citizens, to react quickly to crises and to deepen partnerships with like-minded partners, such as the United Nations and NATO.

The war in Ukraine raises more than ever the question of resources and how to allocate them efficiently. At Versailles, the European Parliament’s President, Roberta Metsola, stressed that the EU ‘must go beyond the European Defence Fund and make the EU budget work for our security and defence policy whenever it adds value’. A recent EPRS study pointed to ‘generally large average amounts of waste’ in current EU Member States’ spending; in the field of defence, this waste was cumulatively estimated at €32 billion for deployable troops, and €13 billion for procurement and research and development.

Energy security

Energy will feature on the agenda of the European Council for the fifth time since October 2021. EU leaders will again discuss energy prices and how best to reduce fossil fuel dependency, notably the phasing out of gas and oil imports from Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed in Versailles that, by May 2022, the European Commission would present a plan to phase out fossil fuel dependency on Russia by 2027. Regarding the spike in energy prices, a first series of short-term measures had been taken in 2021. Given the worsening situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, EU leaders are expected to discuss further short- and medium-term measures to address energy prices and security of supply, such as the refilling of gas storage facilities across the continent. The European Commission is expected to publish a communication on this subject on 23 March, to provide input ahead of the European Council meeting.

A number of other initiatives will feed into the debate. Ahead of the Versailles summit, on 9 March, the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had addressed a letter to President von der Leyen, proposing a six-point plan to counter the ‘weaponisation’ of gas as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, including ‘targeted and temporary market intervention’ to avoid speculation. A ‘mini “Mediterranean summit”‘ held in Rome allowed Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain to articulate a common position on reforming the energy market. The mini-summit was part of a wider European tour the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, undertook with the aim of building consensus ahead of the European Council meeting. 

A new phase in the Covid-19 pandemic

As the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the EU continues to fall, EU leaders may mention the importance of EU coordination on the removal of restrictions and on developing the vaccination campaign that has lessened the most severe effects of Covid-19. This may lead the European Council to reiterate the need to coordinate on future preparedness, namely on the ‘health union’ package.

The European Council will most likely welcome the decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Charles Michel first proposed the idea in November 2020, and the European Council supported it at the time. EU leaders may reiterate their commitment to contributing to the global response to Covid‑19, both bilaterally and by ensuring access to vaccines through COVAX. This commitment has been repeated by the European Council in 10 of its meetings since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Economic issues

It has been a tradition that EU leaders use the March European Council meeting to discuss the European Semester – the framework for the coordination of economic policies across the EU – ever since its launch in 2011 in the context of the sovereign debt crisis. Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF) – set up in 2020 in response to the economic consequences of the pandemic – is also now reviewed during the European Semester. EU Heads of State or Government are expected to endorse the annual sustainable growth survey (ASGS) and the draft Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area, also part of the 2022 European Semester exercise.

EU leaders will follow up on the objectives set out in the 2019-2024 Strategic Agenda, and firmly reiterated in the Versailles Declaration, aimed at building a more robust economic base and fostering investment. The focus will be on reducing the EU’s strategic dependence in the most sensitive areas: critical raw materials, semi-conductors, health, digital and food. The European Council is expected to call for the completion of the single market, in order for it to realise its full potential. The digital and services components should be top priority when it comes to removing the remaining unjustified barriers and administrative burdens, interconnecting ecosystems across Member States more effectively, and enforcing single market rules. EU leaders might also address the activities of the European Commission on the issue of food security.

External relations

EU leaders will most probably consider relations with China in preparation for the EU-China Summit on 1 April 2022. Two issues are likely to be central to the debate: China’s positioning over the war in Ukraine and the future of EU-China bilateral relations, including on trade and security. In 2021, the European Parliament froze its ratification of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) pending the lifting of sanctions imposed against ‘European individuals and entities, including five MEPs’.

EU leaders will also discuss the deterioration of the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prior to the meeting, the High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP), Josep Borrell, visited the country, stressing that its future and the future of the western Balkan region ‘lies in the European Union, as the best provider for peace and security’.

3. Euro Summit

On 25 March, EU leaders will convene for a Euro Summit meeting in inclusive format, in order to review progress on completing the banking union and the capital markets union, as indicated in the declaration issued at the last Euro Summit meeting, of 16 December 2021.

EU leaders are expected to consider the Commission’s communication of 2 March 2022 on ‘Fiscal policy guidance for 2023‘, as well as the statement of 14 March 2022 by the Eurogroup (i.e. the finance ministers of the Member States in the eurozone) on fiscal guidance for 2023. The Eurogroup President, Paschal Donohoe, expects a gradual evolution in fiscal policy, leading to a broadly neutral overall fiscal stance in 2023 for the euro area, but stressed that due to uncertainties and risks, the EU needed to remain agile and flexible in its policy response. Following the latest Eurogroup meeting, given the remaining availability of funds under Next Generation EU (NGEU) and the lack of agreement between Member States, it seems unlikely that EU leaders will return to the idea of creating new mutual bonds, along the lines of the NGEU pandemic recovery fund, to respond to the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

Read this briefing on ‘Outlook for the European Council meeting of 24-25 March 2022‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Marketa Pape.

The EU aims at becoming a carbon neutral economy by 2050, an ambition outlined in the European Green Deal and enshrined in the EU Climate Law. To achieve climate neutrality, the EU transport sector has to cut its CO2 emissions by 90 %. This requirement contrasts with the fact that transport is the only sector in which greenhouse gas emissions have continued to grow in recent years, albeit with a short pause due to coronavirus-related restrictions on travel and movement.

In December 2020, the European Commission put forward a strategy outlining how it intends to transform the EU transport sector to align it with the European Green Deal, by making it green, digital and resilient. This sustainable and smart mobility strategy has become the blueprint for the Commission’s legislative and support activities. It contains 82 initiatives in 10 key areas, with specific milestones to be achieved by 2030 and 2050.

While the Commission is the key actor in preparing and proposing the legislation needed, the overall impact of this ‘green and digital fabric’ depends on when, and with what amendments, each legislative proposal gets passed into law by the European Parliament and the relevant ministers of EU Member States. And, crucially, how coherent the whole strategy remains.

Since the publication of the strategy just over a year ago, the Commission has progressed and put forward a number of legislative proposals. The EU co-legislators are discussing how the proposals should be amended and are getting ready to negotiate. The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) tracks the progress of these legislative files with dedicated briefings, the most relevant of which are listed below.

In the July 2021 Fit for 55 package, several proposals target transport or modify some key related aspects, such as the energy needed. Here, the Commission proposes to ramp up the production of renewable energy, raising the target of energy from renewable sources from the current 32 % to 40 % by 2030, and to change the rules for energy taxation, replacing the volume-based approach to energy taxation with one based on energy content and environmental performance. For road transport, the Commission proposes to set stricter CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (vans) and allow only zero-emission vehicles from 2035. To support the roll-out of the necessary alternative fuels, a draft regulation on alternative fuels infrastructure proposes binding targets for electric vehicle charging points and hydrogen refuelling points, electric charging for stationary aircraft at airports and onshore power supply for ships at ports. Two specific sectoral proposals, on sustainable aviation fuels and on sustainable maritime fuels, focus on how to ensure sufficient quantities of cleaner fuels for airplanes and ships.

In terms of CO2 emissions, the Commission not only proposes to tighten the existing EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS), but also to extend it to maritime shipping and establish a separate, self-standing emissions trading system for fuel distribution for road transport and buildings. Both these sectors, however, remain included in the Effort Sharing Regulation, so that national policies would continue to support their decarbonisation. Reviewed rules for aviation are dealt with separately, with a proposal to end allowances from 2027 and integrate the global market-based Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), applicable to international flights, into the revised ETS.

These ‘Fit for 55’ proposals are interlinked and also need to be understood against the background of the EU’s efforts to determine which investment counts as green. While the basic ‘taxonomy’ legal act is already in force, the process of establishing detailed criteria on how to classify activities as ‘green’ is ongoing. For transport, the key issue is whether natural gas and nuclear power will be regarded as sustainable or not.

The ‘Fit for 55’ package also includes a proposed new social climate fund (SCF), meant to help vulnerable households, micro-businesses and transport users meet the costs of the green energy transition in the buildings and road transport sector.

While negotiations on these files are expected to start in 2022, the Commission is already preparing further proposals. It will debate the way forward with transport experts at the 7th annual Future of transport conference on 23 March 2022, together with the most pressing issues facing the European transport sector, such as supply chain disruptions and digital transformation and road safety.

Newsletter - 23-24 March 2022 - Brussels plenary

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The European Commission on Tuesday defended labelling natural gas as a sustainable investment during a session at the European Parliament. Sceptical lawmakers said demand for gas is strong enough.

Parliament’s Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) adopted its final recommendations on Tuesday, concluding 18 months of inquiries.
Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Parliament’s Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA) adopted its final recommendations on Tuesday, concluding 18 months of inquiries.
Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Ahead of a visit to Brussels by Justin Trudeau, it looks likely Canada will offer to take unlimited numbers of Ukrainian refugees displaced by the Russian invasion.

Written by Rosamund Shreeves.

Even – or especially – in complex, emergency situations, a gender perspective is vital in order to take into account the specific needs of women and men and the different risks to which they are exposed. Humanitarian actors are calling for a gender-sensitive response to the Ukraine crisis, to help tackle barriers to accessing vital services, address increased risks of gender-based violence and facilitate the reception and integration of refugees.

The scale of humanitarian need

After eight years of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, humanitarian needs were already high. Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion on 24 February, the United Nations (UN) had already projected that 2.9 million Ukrainians – 54 % of whom were women and children – would need humanitarian assistance in 2022. The war has now caused an escalating humanitarian crisis. Shelling and air strikes on residential areas are resulting in increasing civilian deaths and severe damage to homes, hospitals, schools, and water and power supplies. The humanitarian situation is particularly desperate in areas besieged by Russian forces, with dwindling access to food and medicines and no or few safe avenues for aid to get in or people to get out. Two weeks into the conflict, an estimated 12.65 million people were stranded in affected areas, or unable or unwilling to leave due to military action. Around 1.85 million people were already internally displaced within Ukraine, a figure that could rise to 6.7 million. In the space of only three weeks, 3 million people have fled to neighbouring states (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Belarus and Russia) and over 360 000 have moved on to other European countries. This complex and fast-moving situation requires a vast humanitarian response, spanning action to meet the immediate needs of those under fire and on the move, through to support for refugees settling in host communities. The UN also warns that a prolonged conflict could have a ripple effect way beyond Ukraine, including a risk of food insecurity in some countries that are heavily reliant on its wheat exports.

Why a gender-sensitive response matters

Since conflicts and humanitarian crises can affect women, men, girls and boys very differently, adopting a gender perspective from the outset ensures that their specific needs and the risks and vulnerabilities they are exposed to are taken into account, and that they are equally able to shape decisions about the support they need. Initial rapid gender analysis and monitoring can serve to identify some of the issues already emerging in relation to the conflict in Ukraine and urgent areas for action:

• Access to critical services and humanitarian support: Sex-disaggregated and intersectional data are vital to identify specific protection needs and ensure that humanitarian assistance is effective. Monitoring of humanitarian needs across Ukraine shows that there is a lack of shelter spaces for families and single sex spaces for women. It also identifies children, women, persons with disabilities and/or serious medical conditions, older people and minorities as the groups facing the greatest obstacles to accessing transport, food, medicine and emergency health care.
• Maintaining sexual and reproductive health services and maternity care: In times of war and forced displacement, interruptions to care can put women and girls at greater risk of unintended pregnancy, untreated infections and unsafe delivery. The UN Population Fund reports that at the start of the current crisis, there were around 265 000 pregnant women in Ukraine, some 80 000 of whom were expected to deliver over the next three months. Women are giving birth in risky conditions and at least one maternity hospital has been struck. Safeguarding access to these services is therefore a matter of urgency.
• Addressing sexual violence: Armed conflict increases the risk of sexual violence, including rape, sexual slavery and forced prostitution, while also reducing access to specialised support for survivors and potentially creating a climate of impunity. The conflict in eastern Ukraine highlights the particular risks faced by displaced women and girls and the unmet need for support and redress. In the current context, there are calls for the European Union to push for rape to be judged as a war crime and to establish mechanisms to monitor women’s fundamental rights during and after the conflict.
• Protection from sexual exploitation and trafficking: Women and children make up the overwhelming majority of those fleeing Ukraine. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stresses that some children are unaccompanied and that many women have been separated from partners and support networks and are in a situation of financial insecurity. This puts both groups at risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking, and there are reports that this is already happening. Therefore, while welcoming the outpouring of support from private individuals offering transport and accommodation, associations working on the ground are calling for coordinated action to inform, register and accompany women and girls and vet potential hosts. Poorer men not wishing to be conscripted may also be vulnerable to migrant smugglers.

Since it is mainly women and girls who are seeking refuge, countries hosting refugees from Ukraine will need to pay particular attention to their specific reception and integration needs. Humanitarian actors and stakeholders are also stressing the need for safe and regular pathways to safety for all women and girls, irrespective of their nationality, ethnicity and religion, including for stateless persons and Roma with no documentation to prove their residence status. There are calls for women’s organisations to be involved in shaping the humanitarian response and for meaningful participation of women in peace negotiations, in line with UN Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, to ensure that their specific situations and needs are taken into account and to achieve more sustainable outcomes.

EU commitments and action

The EU recognises that crises are not gender neutral, and that EU humanitarian assistance must be sensitive to gender and age if it is to be effective and reach those most in need. It has committed to including a gender dimension in all its humanitarian aid, by tracking how each action integrates gender and age and ensuring that humanitarian responses include strategies for protecting against sexual and gender-based violence, ensuring access to reproductive and sexual healthcare services and promoting women’s participation.

The EU is coordinating deliveries of material assistance to Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Other measures adopted so far to help those fleeing Russian aggression include guidelines on simplifying border controls for vulnerable groups and immediate temporary protection in the EU, giving rights to a residence permit, the possibility to work, housing, and access to social welfare, medical assistance and education. The availability of this legal option to enter and stay in EU countries removes some of the documented risks facing women and girls seeking asylum. However, the Commission has raised concerns about trafficking, particularly for arrivals with no relatives or contacts in the EU. The European Commission’s communication on solidarity with refugees and those fleeing war in Ukraine also recognises that, since women, unaccompanied minors and other children make up the majority of arrivals, the immediate priorities will include ensuring appropriate information and accommodation, preventing gender-based exploitation, supporting childcare, and ensuring swift access to education. Member States will be able to use EU cohesion funding to help refugees access childcare and education, find jobs and get psychological support.

European Parliament position

In a December 2021 resolution, Parliament stressed the need to focus on the situation of women and vulnerable groups at the Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Another resolution, adopted the same month, called for more tangible elements of gender mainstreaming, such as gender analyses, to be implemented in EU humanitarian action. At its plenary session in March 2022, Parliament debated the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, highlighting the need for proper assistance for women and children. It also adopted a resolution stressing the need to fight gender-based violence in war and calling for more women to be involved in peace and security.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Russia’s war on Ukraine: Ukrainian students in the EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

There's growing unease that farming lobbies may be using the war in Ukraine as a pretext to slow down environmental policy.