The International Women’s Day was held on March 8, 2015. Founded in 1908, this event is an annual opportunity for global awareness on the theme of women’s rights and gender equality.

Equality between women and men is a fundamental principle of the European Union who has developed a policy of equality since the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community in 1957. The European Charter of Fundamental Rights, signed in 2000, reaffirmed the prohibition of discrimination and the obligation to achieve equality between women and men in all areas. Entered into force in 2009, the Lisbon Treaty establishes non-discrimination and equality in basic principles of European law. This means in particular that they are criteria for assessing whether a European state can become a candidate for EU membership. Finally, in 2010 the European Commission adopted a Women’s Charter, which wants to mark an increased commitment to equality between women and men.

On this occasion, it is worth noting the role played by the European Union for the cause of women in the world. In 2008, it adopted guidelines on violence against women and the fight against all forms of discrimination against them in order to promote equality between men and women, put in place effective and coordinated strategies and the fight against impunity for violence against women leaders. In this context, the EU puts women’s rights at the heart of its human rights policy with third countries and defines the strategy to follow when it becomes aware of individual cases of violations of human rights.

The EU is also working to promote women’s rights in multilateral organizations such as the UN. It participates in the UN Commission on the Status of Women and actively supports the proposal for a resolution to renew the commitment to the fight against all forms of violence against women. The EU is also committed to supporting the implementation of Resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council, which reaffirms the important role that women play in the prevention and resolution of conflicts in the peace negotiations in consolidation and peacekeeping, humanitarian responses and in post-conflict reconstruction.

An essential theme in major external cooperation programs DCI, PI, and EIDHR equality between men and women is also a transversal priority in the field of structural funds where compliance with it is essential in the selection of projects.