Gender equality in the draft Constitutional Treaty

Gender equality is an integral part of the draft Constitutional Treaty. Equality is mentioned among the European Union's values, stated in Article I-2. Moreover, the promotion of equality between women and men is part of Article I-3; the principle of gender mainstreaming is rightly placed as a horizontal article III-1 and the fight against all forms of discrimination, including sex-based discrimination, is also inserted as a horizontal article III-1a.

However, unfortunately, 'gender equality and the fight against all forms of gender discrimination' has not been inserted as a shared competence of the EU in the Draft Treaty on the European Constitution. Neither did the Convention incorporate an article in the institutional chapter requiring a balanced representation of women and men in EU institutions.

Ultimately, it must be borne in mind that a European Constitutional Treaty, even with well-integrated gender equality provisions, is not sufficient to achieve gender equality - it needs to be applied to become a reality.