On 5 March, the European Commission launched its Gender Equality Strategy for 2026-2030. The Strategy was presented by European Commission’s Executive Vice- President Roxana Mînzatu and Commissioner for Eequality Hadja Lahbib. Building on the previous Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025 and the 2025 EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights, this strategy sets out 30 concrete measures to advance Gender Equality in the EU.  

Commissioner Lahbib identified combating gender-based violence as a central objective of this strategy, with the EU supporting Member States in implementing the 2024 Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, and providing dedicated funding under the current CERV and upcoming AgoraEU programmes. For the first time, women's health features as a dedicated focus, reflected in an ongoing joint initiative with the World Health Organisation to improve the quality of women’s healthcare. Encouraging female leadership is equally featured as a central focus of the strategy. The strategy explicitly refers to sport as a tool to fight gender stereotypes and promote equality.  The Commission thereby commits to closing the gender gap in physical activity and mainstream gender across relevant policy areas through initiatives like the European Week of Sport, #BeActive EU Sport Awards, Erasmus+ Sport and in the upcoming Strategic Vision for Sport in Europe. This mention of achieving gender equality through sport is the result of advocacy efforts led by the EOC EU Office to ensure the recognition of the power of sport.  

The EOC EU Office contributes to several of these objectives through the ongoing SAFE HARBOUR Project on safeguarding in sport, active engagement on women’s health, and both the completed GAMES project and the ongoing EmpowHER project on women in leadership positions.