It is an honor to be here on this 35th anniversary of the European Womens Lobby. Since its inception in 1990, the Commission has supported the Lobby and continues to do so to this day.

1990 seems like a long time ago. I was 20 years old then, studying at the Université libre de Bruxelles. I was reading books by Simone de Beauvoir, newspapers on real paper, and writing handwritten letters.

Just five years after the Lobby was founded, the world came together in Beijing. The 1995 Declaration and Platform for Action became a global turning point for womens rights: womens rights are human rights. I know some of you here today were there, including Mary Collins, now the Secretary-General of the Lobby.

This year, we mark 30 years since this visionary plan took shape in Beijing, and it remains a progressive blueprint for womens rights worldwide.

The connection between past and present is powerful because when I look back at the past 35 years of your work at the Lobby, I am struck by how far gender equality has come in the European Union.

The fact that I stand here today as Commissioner for Equality, working alongside the first female President of the European Commission. And we have a female President of the Parliament and a female High Representative. This is clear progress.

We have achieved major milestones in recent years: directives on pay transparency, gender balance on company boards, and combating violence against women and domestic violence. And the European Womens Lobby has been right there with us every step of the way, always advocating, always ready to build coalitions, and always with one clear goal — achieving equality.

You have been a fierce and reliable ally and a trusted partner. You have also challenged us and held us accountable. That is a good thing. That is how we get better.

Womens rights organizations everywhere have been engines of progress, so we need to make sure they have the space, safety, and support to keep doing their work. Civil society must be nurtured and protected.

Today we face challenges that no one could have foreseen in 1990. Take the early days of the internet — so full of hope and optimism. I dont think any of us could have imagined how widespread gender-based cyber violence would become. It has morphed into a digital poison for millions of women and girls. What once felt like a promise has, in many ways, become a new front in the fight for womens rights.

It is precisely because of these new challenges — and because womens rights can never be taken for granted — that I presented the Roadmap for Womens Rights this March. It is a vision for a more equal future.

As we prepare for the next Gender Equality Strategy, we need to stay true to our values and keep our eyes firmly on the goal: a truly gender-equal Europe. And there is only one way to get there: we need to keep gender equality at the heart of all our policies.

I will lead by example in my dual portfolio. Alongside the Equality Task Force, we now have gender equality focal points in every Cabinet to ensure gender mainstreaming happens in practice and at the political level.

If we are serious about equality, we have to put our money where our mouth is. We hope the next EU multi-annual financial framework will reflect the progress we are working for by applying a gender lens in every euro we spend.

I would like to end with a simple “thank you”. Thank you for everything you have done for 35 years to build the Europe we all believe in — fair, equal, and inclusive.

Today more than ever, we need a strong European Womens Lobby. I know I can count on you to keep pushing boundaries and breaking down barriers for the next 35 years. You can count on me to be right by your side.