Jean Monnet Module ”European Union and Gender Equality – EUGEquality” / (project no. 101127264) has been approved and funded by the European Union through European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) within the Erasmus + Programe. The project lasts for three years and is implemented in the period from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2026. The total value of the project is 22.000,00 Euros, of which the EU funds 75% (total of 16.500,00 Euros) and the Faculty of Law Osijek the remaining 25% (5.500,00 Euros).

The starting point of the Project is that in the Republic of Croatia there is still insufficient knowledge of European Union law and insufficient knowledge about fundamental values, rights and principles on which the EU is based. There is a lack of discussions and debates about gender equality issue not just at the faculties and University level, then even at respective local and regional level. The Project responds to known challenges associated with building an inclusive and gender equal European society by providing law-oriented teaching and research in order to improve young peoples’ sense of inclusion and openness, and to raise awareness of young people and general public of an understanding of the European Union context, notably as regards the common EU values, with the emphasis on gender equality and diversity.

Under the motto “A new impetus to gender equality in the European Union”, the Jean Monnet module “European Union and Gender Equality” is aimed at achieving the following goals:

• promoting and deepening European Union studies as a tool for building an inclusive and gender equality oriented European society
• fostering the dialogue between the academic world and society bringing the EU closer to the public
• raising young people’s awareness of understanding of EU policy-making and of EU fundamental values, and providing them with knowledge and competences relevant to their academic and professional lives
• developing an interdisciplinary cooperation between law, administrative and social work students,

The emphasis of the project is on teaching activities within which students of different study programs of the Faculty of Law Osijek (University Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate Study Programme in Law, Professional Undergraduate Administrative Study Programme and University Undergraduate Study Programme in Social Work) will have the opportunity to expand their prior knowledge and discuss the EU and gender equality. Students, as well as interested public, will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops that will be held in the winter semester every year. The workshops will be led by members of the module, with following topics: Databases and Information on the EU and Gender Equality, Right to abortion in the EU, and Gender Equality in Times of Crisis. In this way, dialogue between the academic community and society will be encouraged, including students of various studies, researchers, representatives of local and regional authorities, civic organizations, the media, and other interested public. Finally, before the end of the third project year, an international conference “EU of Gender Equality” is planned.

The project also aims to attract interested participants from neighbouring countries that are in the process of pre-accession negotiations with the EU and for whom knowledge in the field of European law and EU fundamental values and principles, including gender equality, is extremely important.