STRASBOURG — The European Parliament has voted today to set up an EU fund to expand access to abortion for women across the bloc, in a historic vote that divided lawmakers. The plan would establish a voluntary, opt-in financial mechanism to help countries provide abortion care to women who can’t access it in their own country and who choose to travel to one with more liberal laws. European citizens presented the plan in a petition — through the campaign group “My Voice, My Choice.” Lawmakers in Strasbourg voted 358 in favor and 202 against the proposal, and 79 MEPs abstained. The topic sparked animated discussions in the European Parliament plenary on Tuesday evening. MEPs with center-right and far-right groups tabled competing texts to the resolution put forward by Renew’s Abir Al-Sahlani on behalf of the women’s rights and gender equality committee. Supporters of the scheme argued it would help reduce unsafe abortions and ensure women across the bloc have equal rights; those who oppose it, mostly from conservative groups, dismissed it as an ideological push and EU overreach into national policy. Abortion laws vary greatly across the EU, from near-total bans in Poland and Malta to liberal rules in the Netherlands and the U.K. The fund could be a game changer for the thousands of European women who travel every year to another EU country to access abortion care. The European Commission now has until March 2026 to give a response. This story is being updated.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte apologized for being caught calling feminist activists sales connes — which roughly translates to “stupid bitches”— but said she should be able to speak her mind away from the cameras. Interviewed by online news outlet Brut, Macron insisted that her remarks were made in private — she was attending a show by comedian Ary Abittan, who had been accused of rape in a case which was later dismissed — and that she would not have used these words in public. “I’m sorry if I hurt female victims [of sexual assault],” Macron said. She then added: “I’m the president’s wife, but I’m also myself, and in a private context, I can let myself loose in a way which isn’t appropriate … people have the right to [freely] speak and think.” In a since-deleted clip published by gossip outlet Public, Macron is seen asking comedian Abittan, before his performance, how he is doing, to which he responds that he is “afraid,” likely referring to the possibility of protesters interrupting his show. The French first lady then responds: “If there are stupid bitches, we’ll toss them out.” A small group of activists wearing cardboard masks with Abittan’s face attempted to interrupt a show in Paris, yelling “Abittan rapist” while being pushed back by security, video published by French outlet Le Média showed. Macron’s comments drew outrage from French politicians, feminist organizations and film industry celebrities alike. The hashtag #JeSuisUneSaleConne (#IAmAStupidBitch), launched in solidarity with the protesters, was shared by several high-profile figures, including Judith Godrèche — a French actress who has played a central role in confronting sexual violence in the film industry — and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. Abittan is on his first tour since investigating judges decided not to charge him with a crime after he was accused of rape. While the plaintiff was found to have suffered post-traumatic stress, justice officials said they could not establish sufficient grounds to determine that the sexual encounter had been forced. Abittan has denied wrongdoing and said the act was consensual.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected the growing outcry over sexual harassment complaints and corruption cases involving members of his Socialist Party, defiantly declaring that its commitment to feminism and clean government is “absolute.” During his annual end-of-year speech on Monday, Sánchez boasted that his party had been the first in Spain to adopt anti-harassment protocols, and that his government had greenlit legislation to ensure gender balance in key sectors, fight gender-based violence and promote gender equality abroad. “Like everyone else, we have made mistakes,” he said. “But we cannot forget that everything this country has achieved in its quest to ensure equality between men and women has been thanks to the work of its progressive governments.” The prime minister added that he would not accept any “lessons” from the country’s right-wing opposition, which he said behaved like the legendary Spanish inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada while failing to adopt legally required mechanisms to tackle sexual misconduct within its own ranks. Sánchez also rejected criticism regarding the corruption investigations that have resulted in the arrest of several former allies — among them former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, who maintains his innocence — and recent police raids on several ministry buildings. During the address, Sánchez was at pains to contrast the scandals with those of his predecessor, conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was ousted in 2018 after losing a no-confidence vote over the corruption scandals affecting his center-right People’s Party. “Systemic corruption — the sort that was affecting our country’s entire democratic system — ended when the People’s Party left the Spanish government in 2018,” Sánchez said, insisting that there is no evidence of widespread rot within the Socialist Party. NOT GOING ANYWHERE Sánchez’s minority government relies on the support of parliamentary allies who are increasingly uncomfortable with the barrage of sexual harassment and corruption scandals affecting the Socialist Party. The Basque Nationalist Party’s president, Aitor Esteban, this weekend said Sánchez needed to either halt the “daily hemorrhage of news stories” or call snap elections. The Republican Left of Catalonia’s Gabriel Rufián on Monday urged the Socialist Party to “stop playing the victim and drop the ‘whataboutism’ tactics,” adding that his continued support depended on the prime minister’s ability to “reform his party and his government.” Sánchez used his address to the nation to clarify that he does not plan to hold snap elections and is thinking solely of the legislative wins his government can notch by the end of its term in 2027. He added that it is his duty to continue fighting for progressive measures, and urged his allies to respect the will of the voters who made it possible for him to secure another term as prime minister when elections were last held. The Socialist leader also rejected Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz’s call for a “profound Cabinet reshuffle” to make a clean break with the rot, insisting all members of his government are instrumental to its current success. That intransigent stance angered members of Díaz’s Sumar party, the left-wing junior partner in Spain’s coalition government, with Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun urging the prime minister to reconsider his stance in order to “restart” the stalled legislative term. Throughout his address, Sánchez stressed that the fall of his government would result in a “historic shift” in Spain that would see the far-right Vox party come to power. “We are facing the most sterile, destructive, and I would say the most extreme opposition in recent times.” Sánchez’s parliamentary allies recognize that the next elections are likely to result in a right-wing government that will depend on Vox’s backing, if not its active participation. But that increasingly does not seem to be enough to ensure their continued support for the prime minister. “Is it worth it to endure this situation in order to stop the right and the far-right from taking office?” the Republican Left of Catalonia’s Rufián asked rhetorically. “Yes.” “But we also have to ask ourselves if this situation is going to make the far-right grow,” he added. “And if it will permit the far-right to not only come to power, but remain there for years.”

French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte sparked outrage after calling feminist protesters sales connes — roughly translated as “stupid bitches” — backstage at a comedy show. In a since-deleted clip published by gossip outlet Public, Brigitte Macron is seen asking comedian Ary Abittan before his performance how he is doing, to which the former responds that he is “afraid,” likely referencing the possibility of protesters interrupting his show. Abittan is on his first tour since investigating judges decided not to charge him with a crime after he was accused of rape. While the plaintiff was found to have suffered post-traumatic stress, justice officials said they could not establish sufficient grounds to determine that the sexual encounter had been forced. Abittan has denied wrongdoing and said the act was consensual. After Abittan said he was afraid, the French first lady responded: “if there are stupid bitches, we’ll toss them out.” Abittan’s return was protested by the feminist group Nous Toutes, whose members disrupted the show to denounce what they called a “communication campaign aimed at portraying him as a traumatized person while humiliating and belittling the victim.” In a statement to French newswire AFP published Monday, Macron’s office said the remark should be understood as “criticism of the radical methods used by those who disrupted and obstructed Ary Abittan’s show.” Condemnation came from political figures across party lines, as well as activists and film industry professionals. Marine Tondelier, head of the French Greens, called the remark “extremely grave” and conservative Senator Agnès Evren described it as “very sexist.” Prisca Thévenot, a lawmaker from the president’s party and former government spokesperson, deemed the comment “inelegant.” “When it comes to women fighting against violence against women, we don’t speak that way,” former President François Hollande said Tuesday on RTL. Judith Godrèche, the French actress who has played a central role in confronting sexual violence in the film industry, took to Instagram to criticize Macron. “I too am a stupid bitch. And I support all the others,” she wrote.

Latvia could become the first EU country to withdraw from a landmark international treaty to combat domestic abuse and violence against women following a parliamentary vote Thursday. Lawmakers voted by a margin of 56 to 32, with two abstentions, to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention — a Council of Europe treaty intended to standardize support for women who are victims of violence — just a year after it came into force. “It’s a shameful decision for the parliament,” Andris Šuvajevs, parliamentary group leader for the center-left Progressive Party, told POLITICO shortly after the vote, which took place after an intense 14-hour debate. The legislation to withdraw from the treaty was introduced by a right-wing opposition party, Latvia First, but passed with support from one of the three parties in the ruling coalition. The centrist Union of Greens and Farmers broke ranks with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa to help push the bill through. Ingūna Millere, a representative of Latvia First, told POLITICO in a written comment that the Istanbul Convention was a “product of radical feminism based on the ideology of ‘gender’” and that Latvia’s ratification of the treaty was “political marketing that has nothing to do with the fight against violence.” The push to withdraw from the convention has been sharply criticized by human rights groups, which warned that it would roll back women’s rights in Latvia. A day before the vote, around 5,000 people demonstrated outside the parliament, carrying signs reading “Hands off the Istanbul Convention” and “Latvia is not Russia.” Tamar Dekanosidze, the Eurasia regional representative for women’s rights NGO Equality Now, said the bill attempted to reframe gender equality initiatives as pushing an “LGBTQ agenda,” adopting a Kremlin-style narrative that allows politicians to portray themselves as defenders of “national values” ahead of elections.  “This would mean that, in terms of values, legal systems and governance, Latvia would be more aligned with Russia than with the European Union and Western countries,” she said, adding that this “directly serves Russia’s interests in the country.” Latvia’s withdrawal would require the support of President Edgars Rinkēvičs, who said before the vote that he would review the law and announce his decision within 10 days. Latvia would be only the second country to quit the convention following Turkey’s exit in 2021.

PARIS — French lawmakers approved legislation Wednesday that introduced the concept of consent in the legal definition of rape following the shocking Gisèle Pelicot trial last year. While advocates have been pushing for years for France to change the definition of rape and sexual assault to outlaw nonconsensual acts, Pelicot’s case, where 51 men were accused of raping her with the help of her now ex-husband, who had drugged her, gave new impetus and got the ball rolling. Until now, French law defined sexual assault — including rape — as acts performed through “violence, coercion, threat, or surprise.” Some of the lawyers in the trial had unsuccessfully centered their defense on the argument that the definition did not explicitly require seeking a partner’s consent, claiming their clients believed they were taking part in a sexual fetish shared by the couple. The newly-written law states that “any non-consensual sexual act … constitutes sexual assault.” Consent must be “free and informed,” given for one specific act prior to it taking place, and it must be “revocable,” it adds. Crucially, it is explicitly stated that consent cannot be “inferred solely from the victim’s silence or lack of reaction.” Véronique Riotton, a centrist lawmaker who coauthored the bill and wrote a report on the issue in 2023, told POLITICO that the bill’s passage was a “positive moment” proving that parliament could still move forward on major issues despite the political gridlock currently crippling France. Several lawmakers had tried to pass similar legislation in recent years, but the issue drew little attention until Pelicot’s case. In 2022, a European Commission proposal to require all member countries to classify any nonconsensual sex as rape was dropped from a wide-ranging draft law on violence against women due to opposition from several countries, including France. French President Emmanuel Macron later clarified that he supports the legal redefinition but does not see it as a European prerogative.

Sanna Marin is a Tony Blair Institute’s strategic counselor. She’s the former prime minister of Finland. As the world’s leaders gather in Rome for this year’s Ukraine Recovery Conference, there is no illusion as to what’s at stake. Ending Russia’s war of aggression remains Ukraine’s overriding priority. But the truth is, even that won’t secure lasting stability. True recovery will demand more than reconstruction funds or military deterrence. It will require deep, sustained investment in the systems that underpin a strong sovereign state. One of the most vital — and most overlooked — of those systems is Ukraine’s own people. Too often, the conversation surrounding Ukraine’s workforce begins and ends with refugee return. But recovery cannot be deferred until people come home. Nor can it depend entirely on external support. Ukraine’s greatest untapped asset is already within its borders: millions of citizens ready to work, retrain and rebuild, if allowed the opportunity. This isn’t a soft-side issue — it’s a strategic imperative. And new research from the Tony Blair Institute shows that taking bold action now could expand Ukraine’s workforce by 25 percent, even while war continues. There are more than 3 million people inside Ukraine today who, with the right policies and support, could be brought into the workforce. Unlocking this potential isn’t just the most realistic way to stimulate economic growth and power Ukraine’s recovery, it’s also the smartest and fastest way to build long-term resilience in the face of ongoing war. This isn’t about abstractions. It’s about mothers who can’t find childcare; displaced people struggling to rebuild their lives after being forced to flee; job seekers struggling to find work that matches their skills and offers the stability that formal employment should provide. It’s also about veterans and individuals with disabilities who are ready to contribute but often encounter barriers due to limited workplace accommodation. Ukraine’s workforce is motivated, but it’s constrained by systems that haven’t kept up. Today, 83 percent of Ukrainians with disabilities are out of work. Women face a 15-point participation gap compared to men. And over one-third of internally displaced people are unemployed. Meanwhile, 40 percent of businesses say they can’t find the skilled talent they need. This mismatch is more than a missed opportunity — it’s a risk to Ukraine’s recovery and long-term sovereignty. Ukraine’s greatest untapped asset is already within its borders: millions of citizens ready to work, retrain and rebuild, if allowed the opportunity. | Sergey Kozlov/EPA The good news is, Ukraine has the tools to change this, and the country has momentum on its side: billions in donor support, a nearly finalized new labor code and real political will. It has digital infrastructure that’s the envy of governments across Europe. It also has a population ready to adapt, with almost 40 percent of Ukraine’s unemployed saying they’re willing to retrain and a quarter of them willing relocate for the right job. That’s an extraordinary national resource. And Ukraine’s partners can help turn this potential into progress by acting on four fronts: First, bring Ukraine’s job market into the 21st century. The country is already a world leader in digital ID. It has ambitious plans to build platforms that would match workers with jobs and training opportunities — especially in regions where the disconnect between supply and demand is stark. It needs international funding and expertise to do this.  Second, put employers in the driver’s seat by tying every reskilling program to a real job opportunity. Even though there are hundreds of available courses, many teach skills that businesses don’t need, or they target workers who already have jobs instead of those seeking work. Reskilling support should be contingent upon employers co-designing curriculums and committing to hire successful graduates. Third, finalize the new labor code. The current one dates back to 1971. Reform is essential — not just for EU accession but for unlocking flexibility, formality and fairness in the workplace. Technical assistance and public advocacy from international partners can help here. Finally, break down the systemic barriers to participation. This means scaling up access to childcare, improving workplace accessibility for those with disabilities and supporting underrepresented groups, from women and young people to the elderly and displaced. These changes are morally right, economically vital and should align with donor priorities. I’m proud to join that conversation, and urge us all to keep people — not just infrastructure — at the heart of recovery. Of course, the return of refugees will be critical to Ukraine’s long-term recovery. But with only half of them currently planning on returning, and most of them uncertain exactly when, this cannot be the cornerstone of today’s strategy. Ukraine cannot afford to wait. The focus must be on unlocking the potential of those already inside the country’s borders. And that starts with modernizing the job market, removing the barriers that prevent people from working, and investing in the skills that will power Ukraine’s reconstruction from the ground up. Recovery doesn’t begin with return, it begins with reform. Ukraine has already proven its courage. Now its people can build a workforce ready to win the peace. But the country needs partners to expedite this task and help its people scale with what they have. With the right investment, Ukrainians won’t just rebuild — they’ll lead.

France’s digital ministry has spent months painstakingly lobbying Big Tech to support its ambitious plans to enact an age limit for social media use.  But it took one minister fewer than five minutes to exhaust all that hard-earned political capital. It was Monday, and the official in question, equality minister Aurore Bergé, had summoned representatives of Big Tech in France for a very public scolding in front of both government representatives and the media.   Flanked by regulators, law enforcement and Clara Chappaz, the minister overseeing digital affairs and artificial intelligence, Bergé began the meeting in an ornate government office with a nearly five-minute tirade accusing Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube of not doing enough to combat influencers posting sexist and violent content.   “The time for irresponsibility is over,” said Bergé, whose full brief includes gender equality and the fight against discrimination. “The Republic expects more than just intentions from you. It expects results. From now on, you must and will be held accountable in a regular, transparent and public manner.”  Chappaz and her team didn’t disagree with the overall message of Bergé’s tirade, but objected to her maximalist demands and attack-dog tone — and they weren’t alone. Granted anonymity to candidly discuss the meeting, several people in the room told POLITICO they had been floored by Bergé’s decision to turn the meeting into a political spectacle.  “This is never the way we worked with the government in France,” said a representative of a platform present at the meeting.  Another industry employee there said it was the “most damning proceeding I’ve seen since I started doing this job.”   The meeting yielded few tangible results and strained the relationship between the French government and Big Tech, an industry that French President Emmanuel Macron has long considered an ally.   It also exposed a turf war between Bergé and Chappaz.  ‘THIS ISN’T CHINA’  Although just 37, Bergé has been in the French political spotlight for years. Like former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and current European Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné, she was one of the many young upstarts who hitched their careers to Macron’s star by joining his upstart centrist movement before the 2017 election.   Bergé has risen through the ranks since then, earning a reputation as a savvy operator both behind the scenes and in the media, someone unafraid to go on the offensive to defend Macron’s policies.  TikTok’s compliance set a dangerous precedent, one meeting participant explained. | Laurent Gillieron/EPA But she’s also had her share of controversies. A muckraking book published in September and exposing the squalid conditions and avaricious practices of private day care facilities in France alleged that while serving as the minister for families, Bergé had maintained uncomfortably close ties to an industry lobbyist. Bergé has denied any wrongdoing and sued the author for defamation two weeks after the book’s release.   Monday’s meeting bore many of the hallmarks of a Bergé public relations strategy, and attendees saw it as little more than a stunt. One participant said that once the cameras had left, it was hard to get anything done as Bergé was “frustrated” by the imprecise answers she received.  “She said it wasn’t her role to report problematic content to us, and that’s true: There are normally legal procedures for that.”  The problem appears to be one of expectations. Bergé had before Monday successfully lobbied TikTok to delete the account of a controversial former reality TV star whose posts her office said were contributing to a culture of “hyper-sexualization.”   TikTok’s compliance set a dangerous precedent, one meeting participant explained. Bergé thereafter expected the companies to adhere to her demand ahead of the meeting to delete the accounts of a half-dozen influencers whose content she deemed sexist or violent.  Three platforms present at the exchange, including TikTok, told POLITICO they were beginning to review the content of the accounts reported by the minister, without committing to deleting them at this stage.  The Big Tech representatives at the meeting who spoke to POLITICO were also taken aback by what appeared to be some rookie mistakes from Bergé’s office, including not inviting to the meeting any of the “trusted flaggers” French regulator ARCOM relies on to monitor illegal content on social networks. As the meeting went on, it became clear her office didn’t have the same grasp over the finer points of digital regulation as Chappaz and those working for her.  Some were stunned to hear Bergé rely on the Digital Services Act in her call to delete influencer accounts, when in fact the DSA requires platforms to provide tools related to reporting and blocking illegal content, not account creators directly. Although just 37, Aurore Bergé has been in the French political spotlight for years. | Teresa Suarez/EPA “We delete content on a per-content basis, and certainly not on the orders of a ministerial authority — this isn’t China,” one participant said.  WHO’S THE BOSS  During the public portion of the meeting, Chappaz assumed a better poker face than her chief of staff Pierre Bouillon. But her aides were sufficiently concerned by what played out that they later reached out to those who had been in the room to assuage their fears.  In the days that followed, both offices tried to play down any hints of a schism. But few are buying it.  “Chappaz’s office defends itself by claiming to be taking action rather than making statements, but the truth is they are being walked all over,” said one government official.  For Chappaz, the concern is that Bergé’s confrontational approach could undo her team’s efforts to collegially lobby industry to back its proposal for a social media age limit, an ambitious regulatory challenge.   Bergé, however, isn’t going anywhere. She clearly believes her remit in fighting discrimination and promoting gender equality extends well into Chappaz’s jurisdiction in the digital sphere. Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.

BRUSSELS — Democracy in the European Union is failing women, who are disproportionately targeted by online threats, less likely to be elected than in the past, and more reluctant to vote than they used to be.  These are among the key findings of an official review of the most recent European Parliament elections, which were held a year ago across 27 countries with a total of 360 million eligible voters.  Other findings in the European Commission study, a draft of which was seen by POLITICO, included a marked drop in turnout among younger voters, even though several countries lowered their voting age to 16, and confirmation of a rise in Russian-linked interference seeking to undermine the campaign. The report, which is due to be published on Friday, calls on EU countries to do more to promote the participation of women and young people and to remain vigilant against foreign threats.  “Elections are at the core of democracy and the elections to the European Parliament are among the world’s largest democratic exercises,” the report says. “They should follow the highest democratic standards.” Turnout among women fell by one percentage point in the Parliamentary elections of June 2024 compared to the previous elections in 2019. While female representation in the Parliament has more than doubled since the first direct elections in 1979, the share of women fell by 0.9 percentage points last year from the last election.  It was the first time that the share of women in the Parliament had fallen. Women now make up only 38.5 percent of all MEPs, with the proportion ranging from 62 percent in Sweden to zero in Cyprus.  The study cites concerns that the campaign environment was more hostile for women standing for election than for men. In some countries, female candidates were not given equal TV media space, while women were “particularly at risk” of violence, harassment and intimidation during the campaign.  In some countries, female candidates were not given equal TV media space. | Oliver Matthys/EPA “In the run-up to the elections, a rise in online gender-based disinformation about female EU leaders and candidates was observed. Such challenges can force women out of the political sphere altogether, impacting democracy and women’s participation in the political arena,” the report said. The study noted that more needed to be done to achieve gender equality in politics “at both EU and national level,” including better protection against online threats.  When it comes to Russian attacks, the report confirmed there had been “a handful” of “major” Kremlin-linked operations intended to manipulate or interfere in the elections, for example the “Doppelganger” campaigns in which legitimate media websites were impersonated. Overall, EU officials detected 42 incidents linked to Russian interference, manipulation and influence operations. These “escalated in the weeks leading up to the vote, peaking between 6 and 9 June, and continuing well beyond that.”  Overall, turnout remained “stable” in 2024 at around 50 percent. “Thanks to thorough preparedness and strengthened cooperation at all levels, the elections took place without major disruptions,” the report concludes. 

The availability of water, across households and industries, is the basis for peace, security and economic development. It is the source of all life, connects communities, transcends borders and is central to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals from health to education and from gender equality to climate adaptation.  Since the Millennium Development Goals were introduced in 2000, millions of people have gained access to safe water. But this progress has stalled in recent years, with the climate crisis exacerbating water scarcity and extreme weather events jeopardizing water quality.  Women and girls are disproportionately affected by water scarcity. Traditional roles often assign them the tasks of water management. In rural areas across the globe, women spend an estimated 40 billion hours a year fetching water, as much as the entire working time spent in France. The lack of basic infrastructure in their households or close vicinity deprives them of educational and professional opportunities — and can expose them to violence.   > In rural areas across the globe, women spend an estimated 40 billion hours a > year fetching water, as much as the entire working time spent in France. Water is not only essential for life, but it is also a driving force for — and foundational to — economic growth. The provision of water supply, sanitation and wastewater services (WASH) generates substantial benefits for public health, the economy and the environment.  Evidence underscoring the significant economic return on investments in climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure is clear. According to the UN, every euro invested in water and sanitation projects generates four times the economic benefit, mainly in the form of reduced healthcare costs. OECD analysis indicates even stronger numbers, demonstrating that benefit-to-cost ratios can be as high as 7 to 1 for basic water and sanitation services in developing countries.   The majority — about three-quarters — of the total benefits are due to saved time, as people no longer need to travel long distances or wait in lines to access water. In terms of health benefits, enhancing water, sanitation and hygiene could prevent nearly one in ten cases of illness worldwide.  > enhancing water, sanitation and hygiene could prevent nearly one in ten cases > of illness worldwide. The EU’s leadership on the global water agenda has been most welcome, to support improved governance on addressing mutual water challenges.     The development of its first European Water Resilience Strategy comes at a crucial time, providing continuity between the UN Water Conferences, and when support toward SDG6 has been, in recent years, lagging.  Support and investments in WASH services should be prioritized in the international dimension of its strategy, for it to effectively address global water stress from a social and economic perspective.    To achieve this, WaterAid encourages the European Commission to:  * Align the objectives of the strategy with the EU’s 2028-2034 Multi-Annual Financial Framework, ensuring financing for the strategy’s delivery and its UN Water 2023 commitments.  * Through Team Europe Initiatives, increase cooperation among EU member states’ water resilience programs for complementarity, with a focus on climate-resilient water and sanitation services and infrastructure.  * Increase the share of the EU’s climate adaptation financing to climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure, in particular to the partner countries most vulnerable to fluctuating weather trends.  * Expand the Global Gateway areas of partnerships to include water resilience, by encouraging blended finance models that combine private and public funding while maintaining government leadership.  By prioritizing WASH investments in its global water resilience strategy, the EU can lead the charge in tackling water insecurity worldwide. As Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy, declared a few days ago from Poland: “Investing in water resilience is an investment in our future, and in the continued prosperity and security of Europe and beyond.”