Examples from the European Union

The implementation of a gender impact assessment in the European Union is not homogenous. Although gender impact assessment has been developed both at the  European level (European Commission) and in many Member States, it is not an institutionalised method.

While the main principles of gender impact assessment are the same for all, different models of gender impact assessment can be used to achieve this goal. The report Effectiveness of Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Gender Equality, developed in the European Institute for Gender Equality’s (EIGE) review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) in the EU in 2014, provides information reported by the Member States about their use of gender impact assessment.

This section presents information about gender impact assessment in the European Commission and in some Member States, at national level as well as regional and even local level. Only a handful of countries, which show evidence of a more substantial analysis in support of gender impact assessment, have been selected. The aim is to not show the best good practices, but to provide a basic starting point for reflection on how to improve the take up of gender impact assessment in the EU.