Brussels, 1 March 2023

Inter-parliamentary meeting of European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)

"Gender aspects of energy poverty" was the topic of the Inter-Parliamentary Meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). The meeting was organised on the occasion of the International Women's Day 2023 and the European Parliament Committee invited delegations from the EU national parliaments.           

The Hellenic Parliament was represented by the Chairwoman of the Special Permanent Committee on Equality, Youth and Human Rights, Maria-Alexandra Kefala who, at first, referred to the tragic and fatal train accident in Tempi, expressing her deepest sorrow to the relatives of the victims, and wished for a speedy recovery for the injured.                 

Energy poverty has also reached proportions of racial discrimination, Maria Kefala pointed out, stressing that women are disproportionately affected by that, mainly in terms of their health and their well-being, their opportunities for education and professional development, but also in terms of having access to information, communication and transport, which makes it more difficult for them to participate in decision-making processes and to have access to public services. In order to address the gender inequalities of energy poverty, she stressed, it is important to adopt a gender and energy awareness policy, to recognise and address the specific needs of women and girls, to ensure their participation in decision-making processes and to promote gender equality in all aspects of energy access and use. She concluded pointing out that "by giving priority to the needs and perspectives of women, we can create more inclusive and sustainable energy policies for the benefit of all."         

Experts and heads of international organisations, as well as EU organisations and networks active in the field of gender equality, physically attended the meeting, while the Greek Vice-President of the European Parliament, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, responsible for gender equality and diversity, addressed the meeting.

The participants exchanged views on the rising cost of energy and the current cost of living crisis, which has a disproportionate impact on certain demographic groups, including women, thus, having a negative impact on women's economic and social inclusion, health, the risk of domestic violence and fundamental rights in general. Good practices and national measures were presented while proposals and initiatives were also discussed, in order to address the specific needs of women and vulnerable groups.

 

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