A European Feminist Foreign and Security Policy? Norm Contestation and Norm Negotiations in the European Parliament

What is it about?

In 2020, the European Parliament (EP) issued a resolution calling for all European Union (EU) Member States to adopt feminist foreign and security policies, and for a strong gender-focus in the EU’s own external policy. This took place in a context where gender policies are contested among certain political groups in the EP. Considering that the resolution also concerns foreign and security policies, where other potentially competing norms – such as sovereignty – are strong, the progressive resolution is intriguing. Professor Ole Elgström and Assistant Professor Malena Rosén Sundström, both at Lund University, have previously studied both EU negotiations and (Sweden’s) Feminist Foreign Policy. They were interested in understanding the negotiations of the EP resolution and its progressive outcome. They found a high degree of cooperation, rather than conflict, during the negotiations. The main opponents of the resolution, the populist radical right groups, were mainly absent in the negotiations. They mainly contested the resolution by text amendments and by contestation in plenum. A gender equality-friendly institutional culture in the EP and committed individuals as main negotiators on the file can explain the cooperative process and progressive outcome.

Featured Image