Policy Lab participated in the meeting of the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), where members discussed several important opinions linked to equality, social rights and democratic participation.
Ajda Pistotnik tabled amendments to two EESC opinions: the Union of Equality: Anti-Racism Strategy 2026–2030 and the Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030. The amendments aimed to strengthen the connection between equality policies, institutional exclusion, social rights, democratic participation and the just transition.
Anti-racism beyond hate speech
The first amendment was tabled to the opinion on the Union of Equality: Anti-Racism Strategy 2026–2030, co-signed by Laure Niclot and Jakob Krištof Počivavšek.
The amendment stresses that anti-racism policies should not address only hate speech, interpersonal racism or individual discrimination, but also institutional forms of exclusion that prevent migrants and racialised communities from fully participating in society.
It specifically warns against the rollback of acquired rights of long-term residents who are not EU citizens, including political participation at local level and access to social protection. Such measures risk undermining integration, weakening democratic participation and reinforcing the perception of migrants as permanent outsiders.
This issue is particularly relevant in Slovenia, where civil society organisations have recently warned that proposed changes to local electoral legislation would remove local voting rights from third-country nationals with permanent residence. These are people who have lived, worked, paid taxes, raised families and contributed to local communities for many years.
For Policy Lab, this is a central anti-racist question. Racism and xenophobia are not reproduced only through language or open hostility. They can also be reproduced through institutional arrangements that restrict rights, deny political voice and limit access to social protection.
Gender equality and the just transition
Ajda Pistotnik also tabled an amendment to the EESC opinion on the Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030 linking gender equality more clearly to climate, energy, housing and transport policies.
The amendment highlights that women, particularly those facing socioeconomic or geographic disadvantages, may be disproportionately affected by energy poverty, transport poverty and housing challenges. Policies supporting the green transition should therefore take account of their differentiated impacts on women and men, and promote equitable access to affordable services, sustainable mobility and energy-efficient housing.
The amendment draws on recent research from Slovenia by Focus, which shows that energy poverty and transport poverty are closely connected, and that access to energy and mobility directly affects quality of life, social inclusion and health.
This strengthens the understanding of the just transition as not only an environmental or economic process, but also a social and gender equality issue. Climate and energy policies must be designed in a way that recognises different living conditions, care responsibilities, income inequalities and access to infrastructure.
Anti-gender backlash, civic space and democracy
A second amendment to the Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030 was agreed in compromise with the rapporteur, Juliane Marie Neiiendam from Denmark.
The amendment strengthens the draft opinion by noting that backlash against gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights is often linked to broader pressures on civic space, democratic participation and fundamental rights.
This is an important addition at a time when anti-gender narratives across Europe are increasingly connected to attacks on civil society, disinformation, pressure on democratic safeguards and attempts to roll back fundamental rights.
The amendment also underlines the key role of civil society organisations and women’s rights organisations in implementation, access to justice and accountability.
Equality as democratic infrastructure
The amendments reflect Policy Lab’s broader understanding of equality as part of democratic infrastructure. Anti-racism, gender equality, access to social rights, civic space and the just transition are not separate policy fields. They are connected through questions of who has rights, who has voice, who has access to services and who is recognised as a full participant in society.
At the EESC, Policy Lab will continue to advocate for equality policies that address not only formal discrimination, but also structural and institutional conditions that shape participation, exclusion and social justice.
