Short Summary: Twelve countries from Eastern Europe have been candidates for EU membership since 1998. Yet, gender equality in the Eastern enlargement of the European Union (EU) process has not received much attention either from policy makers or from the general public, despite the fact that Women’s organisations in Eastern and Western Europe have formulated expectations and demands regarding the enlargement process from a women’s rights perspective. They demand that the larger EU live up to its commitment to women’s rights and gender equality in all its policies and actions, both within the EU and in dealing with partners elsewhere. WIDE strongly supports these demands. This briefing paper reflects WIDE’s longstanding experience in analysing EU policies from a gender perspective. Its goals are to (1) highlight key issues of gender concern in the enlargement process, and outline recommendations for improvement, (2) provide arguments for advocacy work on women’s rights and gender equality in the EU enlargement, (3) contribute to dialogue and joint action by women from Central, Eastern and Western Europe, and WIDE’s partners in the global South.
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