Last-minute U-turn maintains rules for gender equality plans, as Commission postpones vote on 2025 work programmes
EU research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva. Photo credits: Lukasz Kobus / European Union
EU research commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva has scrapped a proposal to change Horizon Europe rules on gender equality plans (GEPs), following pressure from the research community and EU governments.
A proposed update to the general annexes of the Horizon Europe work programmes for 2025 planned to water down some of the training and resource requirements for gender mainstreaming, which each institution must detail in their GEPs if they are to qualify for Horizon funding.
The revamped rules were to be put to a vote on April 15 at a meeting of the Horizon Europe programme committee, which is made up of member state representatives. But on the evening of April 11, Zaharieva’s cabinet sent delegates an email cancelling the proposed changes and delaying the vote until April 25.
The email said the commissioner made the decision “following concerns about the proposed changes on the gender quality plans.”
Originally, the European Commission had proposed to…
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