Minister for European Affairs Helena Dalli participated in the informal ministerial gender equality conference held by the Austrian Presidency to support the member states' call for the European Commission to adopt a comprehensive and well-resourced gender equality strategy.

During the informal ministerial meeting of EU gender equality ministers, EFTA, and Western Balkan countries, Dalli thanked the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) for its report intended to advance the discussion on gender equality and the use of information technology. She highlighted the need to address gender equality in the ongoing digital revolution.

Minister Dalli said that, in this respect, the Maltese Government has invested in the One Tablet Per Child (OTPC) scheme and greater digitalisation throughout the educational system - a future-oriented measure underpinned by an equality approach. Dalli emphasised the opportunities that the digital revolution may bring in terms of better employment opportunities for all.

In this context, Dalli also referred to the International Day for Women and Girls in Science that Malta sponsored at United Nations level to highlight the need for greater gender equality in the sciences that remains deficient.

In the afternoon session dedicated to the next steps on gender equality within the European Union, Minister Dalli signed up to the Call for a Gender Equality Strategy proposed by the Trio under the leadership of the Austrian Presidency. In the discussions, Dalli called on the European Commission to be ambitious and address gender equality with the urgency and importance it deserves. To this end, the strategy needs to be championed by all directorate generals with clear targets that are measurable and followed-up.

Additionally, an adequate budget needs to be allocated for work led by the European institutions and to support member states to implement innovative projects at the national level, she said. Minister Dalli further stated that the question should not be if a strategy is to be adopted, but rather the kind of strategy which is adopted to address the current European needs.