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Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine

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Gender Component of European Integration Activities: Historical and Legal Analysis

Kateryna Levchenko

Received 12.02.2026, Revised 12.03.2026, Accepted 31.03.2026

Abstract

The article analyzes and summarizes the scientific works of Ukrainian lawyers devoted to the issues of Ukraine's European integration obligations in the context of gender transformations. The importance of a comprehensive historical and legal study of the process of including gender issues in various formats of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU on the European integration path is substantiated for the formation of effective measures to improve the legislative framework and institutional mechanism for the formation and implementation of gender policy in accordance with EU standards. A study of the state of ensuring the inclusion of the gender component in various formats of European integration activities is carried out; based on the analysis of its various instruments and processes in 2017–2025 (annual reports on the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU; annual Human Rights Dialogues, questionnaires on EU membership, self-screenings – conducting an initial assessment of the status of implementation of EU law acts, bilateral thematic meetings, the format of negotiation groups, etc.), the status of the inclusion of the gender component in the above-mentioned instruments and formats is presented; the mechanisms for implementing the principle of gender mainstreaming, which is cross-cutting in the Association Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, are demonstrated; scientific justification of promising areas for strengthening the gender component in European integration processes is proposed. In particular, the optimality of combining in one official of the appropriate level the functions of responsibility for European integration with the function of an authorized person-coordinator on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men, preventing and combating gender-based violence has been established. The need to strengthen the gender component in the activities of negotiation groups has been identified, in particular regarding the mandatory participation of representatives of women's and/or feminist organizations in their work. The need for further research into the issues of forming and implementing comprehensive cross-cutting approaches to ensuring the principle of gender equality in the European integration process has been indicated.

Keywords:

gender equality; gender mainstreaming; discrimination; Ukraine-EU Human Rights Dialogue; ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men; screening of legislation; Association Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, on the other hand

https://doi.org/10.31359/1993-0909-2026-33-1-111

Retrieved from Journal NALSU №1, 2026 year

Pages 111-131

References Suggested citation

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Suggested citation

Levchenko, K.В. (2026). Gender Component of European Integration Activities: Historical and Legal Analysis. Journal of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, 33(1), 111-131. https://doi.org/10.31359/1993-0909-2026-33-1-111