A ''Union of Equality'': A New Doctrine for the European Union?
(2025) The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen. Gender, Leadership, Policies, and Crises — ISBN: [9780198953661], p. 23-42, published
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- Abstract
- This chapter analyzes the Union of Equality (UoE) program of the von der Leyen Commission. It claims that this program can be understood as a comprehensive political doctrine. To do so, the chapter first studies the UoE doctrine’s main tenets. Then it focuses on the methods, policy instruments, and bureaucratic machinery developed to sustain the program, including an analysis of the implementation of the two principles that structure the UoE—mainstreaming and intersectionality. The chapter emphasizes two main points. First, it argues that the UoE doctrine is surely a feminist one. But, second, it shows that one of its main characteristics is its conveyance through a normalization discourse, downplaying its progressiveness and presenting it as “just” the application of the treaties. This normalization discourse has been instrumental in countering resistance and an essential component of von der Leyen’s critical actorness. Still, it could also fragilize equality policies under weaker political leadership.
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Citations
Jacquot, S., & Hubert, A. (2025). A ″Union of Equality″: A New Doctrine for the European Union? In Gabriele Abels, Johanna Kantola, Emanuela Lombardo, and Henriette Müller (ed.), The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen. Gender, Leadership, Policies, and Crises (p. p. 23-42). Oxford University Press.