“A Union of Equality” - An Analysis of the European Commission's New Strategies in the Digital Age
“A Union of Equality” – An Analysis of the European Commission's New Strategies in the Digital Age
June 18, 2026 / Marie Seck
To support its goal to realise the fundamental rights of equality and non-discrimination across the European Union, the European Commission has, in the last few months, published its latest set of equality strategies for 2026 to 2030. This encompasses the Gender Equality, Anti-Racism and LGBTIQ+ strategies.
Across the strategies, the Commission sets out specific objectives to address gender based cyber violence as well as online hatred against racial and ethnically minoritised persons and the LGBTIQ+ community. In assessing these specific aspects of the strategies, we find that the Gender Equality, Anti-Racism and LGBTIQ+ strategies fall short of outlining additional, much needed measures to ensure the tangible reduction of the harms that these communities continue to face in the online ecosystem. A crucial step in this direction would be for the Commission to consistently and diligently enforce existing digital rules. This notably requires a meaningful increase of the capacity allocated to the enforcement of the DSA’s systemic risk provisions related to gender-based violence and fundamental rights.
A key concern across all the strategies is the need for the civil society organisations that work to defend the rights of affected communities to be sustained and supported. In light of the shrinking civic space, receding funding landscape and political attacks civil society organisations are faced with across the Union, this not only includes adequate and reliable funding embedded in the MFF, but also vocal support from EU institutions’ highest levels for civil society as key actor in a thriving European democracy.
Read the brief here.