The Luxembourg Minister for Equal Opportunities, Lydia Mutsch, conducted a working visit to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) on Friday at the invitation of EIGE director, Virginija Langbakk.
This agency of the European Union aims to collect and analyse comparable data on the theme of equality, to perform outreach work and to facilitate the exchange of good practices and dialogue among stakeholders on the ground.
Lydia Mutsch commended EIGE for the quality of its work and its good collaboration with the Luxembourg Government, particularly in the context of the Presidency of the European Union. In November 2015, Virginija Langbakk travelled to the Grand Duchy to launch the "White Ribbon" campaign, an association against gender-based violence to which several members of the Luxembourg government committed, including Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
"The Gender Equality Index is a very helpful instrument and I want to thank EIGE for having elaborated such a user-friendly tool, giving an easy overview of the very complex field of gender equality and for up-dating it on a regular basis," commented Lydia Mutsch on Friday, adding: "Politicians need reliable data to guide them in their decisions and the EIGE is a privileged source for me."
On 16 June 2016, the Luxembourg Minister was received at the Seimas, the unicameral parliament of Lithuania, by president Loreta Graužinienė, to exchange views on the respective priorities of the two countries regarding policies on equality between men and women.
Minister Mutsch put forward current priority issues, namely equality between men and women in political and economic decision-making, the fight against stereotypes and the fight against violence against women, before the group of MPs in charde of women's rights and gender equality.
Photo by MEGA (L-R): Virginija Langbakk; Lydia Mutsch
