The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen Gender, Leadership, Policies, and Crises

Gabriele Abels, Professor of German and European Politics, Institute of Political Science, University of Tübingen,Johanna Kantola, Professor of European Societies and their Politics, Centre for European Studies, University of Helsinki,Emanuela Lombardo, Professor of Political Science, Complutense University of Madrid,Henriette Müller, Assistant Professor of Gender, Governance and Society, New York University Abu Dhabi

Gabriele Abels is Professor of German and European Politics and Jean Monnet Chair at the Institute of Political Science, University of Tübingen. Her areas of interest cover democracy in the EU system, the role of parliaments and regions, integration theories, and gender studies. Key publications include The Routledge Handbook of Gender and EU Politics (co-edited with Andrea Krizsan, Heather MacRae, and Anna van der Vleuten; Routledge, 2021), Gendering European Integration Theory: Engaging New Dialogues (co-edited with Heather MacRae; Barbara Budrich Publishers, 2016) and Gendering the European Union: New Approaches to Old Democratic Deficits (co-edited with Joyce M. Mushaben; Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).


Johanna Kantola is Professor of European Politics at the Centre for European Studies, University of Helsinki. She was the director of the ERC Consolidator Grant project on the European Parliament's political groups and gender (EUGenDem, 2018-2023) and is a team leader in a Horizon Europe project on democracy and feminism (CCINDLE, 2022-2026). Her research has appeared in top journals including American Political Science Review, European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, and Journal of Common Market Studies. She is the author and editor of 12 books and the series editor of Palgrave's 'Gender and Politics' book series.

Emanuela Lombardo is Associate Professor of Political Science at Complutense University of Madrid. Her lines of research are equality policies, Europeanization, feminism, and democracy. She directs the Gender and Politics research group GEYPO with Maria Bustelo and is PI of a WP in the Horizon Europe CCINDLE project on democracy and feminism. Her latest monograph is Gender and Political Analysis (with Johanna Kantola; Palgrave, 2017). Recent edited special issues include De-democratization and Opposition to Gender Equality Politics in Europe (Social Politics, 2021; with Johanna Kantola and Ruth Rubio) and Populism and Feminist Politics (International Political Science Review, 2020' with Johanna Kantola).

Henriette Müller is Assistant Professor of Gender, Governance and Society at New York University Abu Dhabi. Her research encompasses the comparative study of gender and leadership both at the national and international levels and across different political systems and sociocultural contexts. She is the author of Political Leadership and the European Commission Presidency (OUP, 2020), and co-editor of Women and Leadership in the European Union (with Ingeborg Tömmel; OUP, 2022). Her work has appeared in journals including Hawwa: Journal of Women of the Middle East and the Islamic World, Journal of European Integration, Politics & Gender, Politics and Governance, and West European Politics.

Introduction. The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen: A Critical Actorness Approach, Gabriele Abels, Johanna Kantola, Emanuela Lombardo, and Henriette MüllerPart I. Conceptual and Biographical Approaches to "A Union of Equality"1. A "Union of Equality": A New Doctrine for the European Union, Agnès Hubert and Sophie Jacquot2. Words and Deeds?: The von der Leyen Commission's Defense of Equality in Times of Anti-gender Opposition, Emanuela Lombardo and Lucrecia Rubio Grundell3. "Through the Side Door": Ursula von der Leyen's Unconventional Path to Power, Joyce Marie MushabenPart II. The von der Leyen Commission: Gender, Structure, and Leadership4. Political Leadership, (Gender) Equality, and Crises: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Agenda-Setting, Henriette Müller5. The Long (and Still Incomplete) March to Gender Parity: von der Leyen I in Historical Perspective, Sara Connolly, Hussein Kassim, Josefine Lynggaard, Andrew Thompson, and Pierre Alayrac6. Von der Leyen's Gender-Balanced Team: A New Way of Operating in the College of Commissioners?, John A. Scherpereel, Michel Mitri, and Alida Schreuders7. Gendering the Interinstitutional Landscape: Relations of the von der Leyen Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, Gabriele Abels and Johanna KantolaPart III. Policies and Politics under the Equality Lens: The Six Priorities of the von der Leyen Commission8. The European Green Deal Through an Equalities Lens: A Missed Opportunity?, Gill Allwood and Annica Kronsell9. An Economy that Works for the People: Social and Economic Policy, Paul Copeland and Anna Elomäki10. A Europe Fit for the Digital Age: Combating Online Violence Against Women, Olga Jurasz11. Toward a More Gender-Equal EU Migration Policy?: Gender and Sexuality in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, Amandine Le Bellec and Jane Freedman12. A Stronger Europe in the World: Is von der Leyen's "Geopolitical Turn" Fostering or Hindering Gender Justice?, Hanna L. Mühlenhoff, Toni Haastrup, and Roberta Guerrina13. The Citizenwashing of von der Leyen's "New Push for European Democracy": The Conference on the Future of Europe and the Commission's European Citizens' Panels, Alvaro OleartPart IV. Crises and Responses: The Commission in Turbulent Times14. Gendering the EU's COVID-19 Pandemic Response: The Recovery and Resilience Facility, Muireann O'Dwyer and Stefanie Wöhl15. The Commission as a Critical Actor for Strengthening Supranational Rule of Law Enforcement? The Mixed Record of the von der Leyen Commission, Lisa H. Anders and Sonja Priebus16. EU Values in Gendered Violence Legislation: The Directive on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, Valentine Berthet and Lise Rolandsen Agustín17. Facing Unprecedented Challenges: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Russia's War in Ukraine, Ingeborg Tömmel18. "Free to Be Yourself in the EU": The von der Leyen Commission and LGBTIQ Equality in the Eastern Partnership Countries, Maryna ShevtsovaPart V. Looking Ahead: Towards a "Union of Equality"?Conclusions. Political Leadership and the Differential von der Leyen Effect in European Policy-Making, Henriette Müller and Michael W. Bauer