Von der Leyen’s EU Gender Policy: A New Dawn or have we Reached a Ceiling?

The paper starts from the observation that the often acclaimed "new dawn" the von der Leyen Commission introduced has actually not been a major shift. Despite a strong verbal commitment to equality policies by the von der Leyen Commission in 2019, a closer analysis reveals that the new ‘Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025’ has not been met by major policy initiatives. Unlike previous Commissions, the von der Leyen Commission does not take up innovations in feminist theory. In particular: "intersectionality", is not reflected in the policies and limited to declarations. This paper follows up on existing literature that highlights the linkages between theoretical innovations and the conceptual level of EU gender policies. Using an Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis Framework, the paper examines the instruments used in gender equality policies during the first three years of the von der Leyen Commission. The finding reveals the policy tools available and feasible on the EU level are insufficient to realise the declared targets.