OpenLobby.EU
Explore

Transgender Europe

TGEU

Transgender Europe is a member-based organization working for the rights of trans people across Europe and Central Asia.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Francesco Zoia Bolzonello (Cabinet of Commissioner Hadja Lahbib)

15 Oct 2025 · Update on situation with trans rights in Italy and Latvia

Meeting with Marko Vešligaj (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Oct 2025 · The rights of trans and non-binary persons, policy framework

Meeting with Clint Tanti (Cabinet of Commissioner Glenn Micallef), David Ciliberti (Cabinet of Commissioner Glenn Micallef)

27 Jun 2025 · introductory meeting

Meeting with Kim Van Sparrentak (Member of the European Parliament)

14 May 2025 · LGBTIQ Rights

Meeting with Philippe Roux (Head of Unit Health and Food Safety) and The European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association and Organisation Intersex International Europe e.V.

5 Mar 2025 · Biannual meeting on LGBTI issues

Meeting with Lukas Sieper (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Feb 2025 · Advocacy meeting

Transgender Europe urges recognition of hormones as essential medicines

21 Feb 2025
Topic — EU initiative to address medicine supply chain vulnerabilities and reduce dependencies.
Message — Hormones must be officially recognized as essential medications to ensure consistent supply. They recommend relaxing rules for alternative prescriptions and importing unlicensed drugs during shortages.123
Why — Categorizing hormones as essential would protect trans people from health risks and unregulated markets.45
Impact — Pharmaceutical companies could face reduced profit margins from joint procurement and pricing transparency.67
Read full response

Meeting with Alice Kuhnke (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European Disability Forum and

19 Feb 2025 · Anti-discrimination

Meeting with Ana Carla Pereira (Director Justice and Consumers) and

18 Feb 2025 · Exchange of views on the implementation of the LGBTIQ equality strategy 2020-2025 and the new LGBTIQ equality strategy post-2025

Meeting with Hadja Lahbib (Commissioner) and

18 Feb 2025 · Introducery meeting

Meeting with Kim Van Sparrentak (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Jun 2024 · Trans-rights in Greece, in particular following the horrific transphobic attacks earlier that year

Meeting with Marc Angel (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Nov 2023 · transgender rights

Meeting with Silvan Agius (Cabinet of Commissioner Helena Dalli)

14 Nov 2023 · Discussion on Hate Crimes against Trans individuals in the European Union

Meeting with José Gusmão (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Organisation Intersex International Europe e.V. and

20 Oct 2023 · Public hearing/roundtable: ‘The Implementation of the 'LGBTIQ Equality Strategy'’

Meeting with Alice Kuhnke (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and The European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association and Organisation Intersex International Europe e.V.

10 Jul 2023 · Equality Bodies

Transgender Europe urges recognition of trans parents across borders

13 Feb 2023
Topic — New EU laws to ensure parenthood status is recognized when families move between countries.
Message — The organization requests that the new law covers the specific needs of transgender parents and their children. They want legal gender changes to be recognized on all family documents across the European Union.12
Why — Trans families would enjoy safer travel and consistent legal recognition throughout the Union.3
Impact — National authorities would lose the power to enforce restrictive and outdated definitions of parenthood.4
Read full response

Meeting with Sylwia Spurek (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Nov 2022 · LGBTIQ rights (rights of transgender persons)

Meeting with Silvan Agius (Cabinet of Commissioner Helena Dalli)

23 Jun 2022 · Meeting to discuss the Transgender EU Conference.

Meeting with Alice Kuhnke (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and The European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association and

20 Jun 2022 · Anti-discrimination and Intersectionality

Response to Prevention of harmful practices against women and girls

31 May 2022

Trans people in the EU, including trans women and girls, are subjected to discrimination and violence because their gender identities and gender expressions deviate from gender stereotypes and social expectations around gender and the existence of the gender binary. The three harmful practices addressed in the attached policy note are examples of this gender-based violence and discrimination: forced sterilisation, forced medicalisation including pathologisation of trans identities; and conversion practices.
Read full response

Transgender Europe demands explicit protection in violence directive

18 May 2022
Topic — A proposed EU directive aims to combat gender-based violence and protect victims.
Message — TGEU requests the explicit inclusion of trans women and gender identity within the legislative text. They also seek an intersectional approach and data collection segregated by gender identity.12
Why — This would ensure specialized support to prevent misgendering and re-traumatisation by authorities.3
Impact — Negligent public authorities face increased pressure to properly investigate and prosecute crimes.4
Read full response

Response to Recommendation of the Commission on detention

21 Apr 2022

TGEU welcomes the initiative to create recommendations as to the conditions for and alternatives to pre-trial detention. Due to the high risk of violence and rights violations in detention settings, TGEU strongly supports alternatives to pre-trial detention including trans-sensitive community housing, substance use support, mental health support, or support from a social worker. TGEU considers that detention should only ever be a last-resort strategy. When in pre-trial detention, trans people in the EU experience systematic rights violations that have the potential to be addressed with these recommendations from the European Commission. Some of these issues include: -Trans people may face violent search procedures before being placed in detention facilities. -They may be mis-gendered and placed in the wrong gender facilities (e.g. trans women placed in men’s detention) where they face disproportionately high rates of sexual and physical violence from both staff and fellow inmates. -They may be put in solitary confinement out of alleged safety concerns, which may instead cause other psychological harm. -Trans people are not always able to express their gender identity through being denied access to clothing and makeup, and have their chosen name disrespected. -They may have no access to trans-specific healthcare. To address these issues, the recommendations need to include: -Clear guidance around sensitive and appropriate treatment of trans and gender-diverse individuals who are taken into pre-trial detention. -Ability to choose the gender of the law enforcement officer who conducts a physical search -Affirmation of the person’s gender including through use of correct name and pronouns. -Access to healthcare including hormones. -Placement in correct gender facilities. -Monitoring and protection from violence. -Detention staff need to undergo sensitisation training to be able to effectively and appropriately support trans detainees. In developing the recommendations, TGEU recommends the Commission refer to the comprehensive 2018 APT (Association for the Prevention of Torture) Monitoring Guide “Towards the Effective Protection of LGBTI Persons Deprived of Liberty”.
Read full response

Meeting with Alice Kuhnke (Member of the European Parliament) and European Digital Rights and

19 Apr 2022 · Roundtable: Gender-based Violence

Meeting with Helena Dalli (Commissioner) and Amnesty International Limited and

6 Apr 2022 · Cabinet Dalli invited Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to discuss concerns equality and non-discrimination CSOs are raising regarding the situation of people fleeing from the Ukraine

Meeting with Helena Dalli (Commissioner)

2 Dec 2021 · Commissioner Dalli held a meeting with Richard Köhler, a Senior Policy Officer at Transgender Europe (TGEU), an umbrella organisation for the rights of trans people in Europe and Central Asia.

Response to Recognition of parenthood

12 May 2021

Transgender Europe (TGEU) represents trans people in Europe and Central Asia. It is a member-based organisation created in 2005. Since then, TGEU has kept growing and established itself as a legitimate voice for the trans community in Europe and Central Asia with 172 member organisations in 48 different countries. TGEU welcomes this initiative and asks the European Commission to include and address the barriers trans parents and their children face when exercising their right to freedom of movement. This proposal should further develop already existing commitments such as those included in the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy in regard to the legal protection of LGBTIQ people and rainbow families in cross-border situations. Key recommendations for the European Commission: ● Push for mutual recognition of family relations in the EU by proposing a horizontal legislative initiative to support the mutual recognition of parenthood, of same-gender spouses and registered partners’ legal status between Member States, and include trans parents in its scope; ● Explore possible measures to support the mutual recognition of civil status documents, with a view to ensuring that legal gender recognition decisions are mutually recognised between Member States; ● Ensure the correct application of free movement law addressing specific difficulties preventing trans people and their families from enjoying their rights, including through dedicated dialogues with Member States and best practice exchanges; ● Support Member States to put in place legal gender recognition legislation and procedures that are quick, easy, and accessible, based solely on self-determination, as well as to advance legal protections against discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and expression. Please, see document attached for TGEU's full submission.
Read full response

Response to Extension of the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crime

20 Apr 2021

Transgender Europe (TGEU) welcomes this initiative of the European Commission and President von der Leyen’s announcement to “extend the list of EU crimes to all forms of hate crime and hate speech – whether because of race, religion, GENDER or sexuality.” [emphasis added by TGEU]. As the regional representation of the trans community we want to point out that it is crucial for the protection of trans people for “gender identity” to be included in the list of protected grounds – be it framed as an aspect of “gender” or as a standalone ground. To support this, we’d like to answer the questions raised by the commission in relation to gender identity. 1) Particular seriousness of hate crime on the grounds of gender identity Trans people still face a lot of hate and discrimination in the European Union simply for being who they are and they are regularly met with disgust and rejection for showing who they are – that means, for expressing their gender. Prejudice and hate can then transform into violence. Since the beginning of the TGEU Trans Murder Monitoring Project (TMM) in 2008, a total number of 3664 trans people have been reported murdered globally, 87 of them in the European Union (cases include Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and UK) [1]. In 2020, 98% of victims were trans women or trans feminine people. 62% of murdered trans people whose occupation is known were sex workers. Of the 11 people murdered in the EU in 2020, 50% were migrants. The murders are usually brutal and gruesome [2]. They must be clearly classified as hate crimes based on gender identity, but often times, they aren’t registered as such by authorities. For these, and other reasons, the number of unreported murder cases is estimated to be much higher. The seriousness of hate crime against trans people is also due to its prevalence: The EU LGBTI Survey II (FRA 2020) found that trans people are exposed to high rates of violence and harassment. Trans people were more likely to experience physical or sexual violence (17%) or harassment (48%) in the past five years than LGBTI people in general (11% and 38%). These numbers reach 28% and 61% respectively in the case of trans women. Young people (aged 15 to 24), and particularly trans and intersex youth, experienced violence at higher rates than those older [3]. 2) Cross-border dimension Hate speech on the grounds of gender identity has a cross-border dimension. Most of it is perpetuated online via social media. Especially in recent years we see massive attacks of the so-called anti-gender movement openly calling for discrimination of trans people and attacking their rights. These attacks are coordinated across borders and they have real effects on trans people’s lives and their rights. Last year, the reform of legal gender recognition legislation was stalled in the UK due to a massive online hate campaign against trans rights going on for three years. This year, the LGR reform process in Spain is threatened for the same reason. 3) Developments Hate crime on the grounds of gender identity is on the rise: While the Trans Murder Monitoring Project counted 271 killings of trans people in 2015, by 2020 the number has risen to 350 [4]. In its own research for this roadmap consultation the EC is pointing out the rising levels of reported violence and hate speech, with sexual orientation and gender identity being among the most frequent reported grounds. We need to point out however that across all surveys, when data relating to “sexual orientation and gender identity” is looked at more closely, it shows that trans people suffer higher rates of hate violence than the LGBTI average [5]. It is therefore essential that any legislative initiative to protect people against hate speech and violence based on sexual orientation needs to be inclusive of gender identity. For references please see attached PDF.
Read full response

Response to Preventing and combatting gender-based violence

13 Jan 2021

Transgender Europe (TGEU) welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to provide uniform standards for preventing gender-based and domestic violence and thereby work towards the EU accession to the Istanbul Convention. With regards to the options presented in the inception impact assessment, TGEU strongly supports option 3 with its holistic approach to end gender-based violence and domestic violence. The analytic lense used should be ‘gender’ in the sense of the Istanbul Convention and not merely focus on violence against women. Please see our attached submission for all relevant data and evidence. These pieces of evidence indicate that many Member States have so far failed to effectively protect trans and gender diverse people from violence. Trans and gender diverse people need protection from gender-based and domestic violence through a holistic legislative initiative on preventing and combating gender-based violence and domestic violence by the EU. Therefore, TGEU recommends the European Commission to: 1) draft a holistic legislative initiative on preventing and combating gender-based violence and domestic violence, which extends the prevention and support mechanisms currently in place for certain forms of gender-based and domestic violence to all forms; 2) use a definition for gender based-violence which is inclusive of gender identity and gender expression (GIE) such as in use in the EU Victims Rights Directive, which defines gender-based violence as “violence that is directed against a person because of that person’s gender, gender identity or gender expression or that affects a person of a particular gender disproportionately”; 2a) clarify that these definition is inclusive of non-binary people who do not identify as either “women” or “men”, “girls” or “boy”, but encounter gender-based and domestic violence nonetheless; 3) clarify that attempts to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity against their will by parents or legal guardians constitutes a form of domestic violence and that the denial, neglect, rejection, discrimination or violence exercised by legal guardians towards children in relation to their gender identity or expression is considered as a form of abuse; 4) include an intersectional perspective in the Recommendation on harmful practices against women and girls announced in the Gender equality strategy 2020-2025, as established in the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025. The Recommendation should include harmful practices imposed on trans people such as forced or coerced sterilisation and mandatory mental health diagnoses. 5) ensure that the legislative initiative is written from an intersectional perspective, recognising other forms of discrimination such as on the basis of age, race and ethnicity, migrant status, social and economic status, disability or religion can increase vulnerability to gender-based and domestic violence; 6) ensure that the legislative proposal clearly distinguishes between human trafficking and voluntary sex work and furthers the full decriminalisation of the latter as recommended by international institutions such as UNAIDS; 7) ensure that the legislative proposal is fully in line with evolving international human rights standards relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), as summarised in the Yogyakarta Principles and the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10; 8) ensure meaningful consultation with LGBTI organisation, including trans and intersex organisations, in all phases of the initiative.
Read full response

Response to Fitness check of the EU legislation on violence against women and domestic violence

20 Aug 2020

Transgender Europe (TGEU) welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to carry out a fitness check of EU legislation combating violence against women and domestic violence. The assessment process will continue to strengthen the Commission’s commitment to “achieve a gender equal Europe”, in line with the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, which affirms the equality of “women and men, girls and boys in all their diversity”, including with regard to their gender identity and expression (GIE). TGEU welcomes this initiative, as a significant proportion of trans people in the EU continue to experience violence and harassment on grounds of their GIE. The EU LGBTI Survey II (FRA) found that trans people were more likely to experience physical or sexual violence (17%) or harassment (48%) in the past five years than LGBTI people in general (11% and 38%). Young people (aged 15 to 24), and particularly trans and intersex youth, experienced violence at higher rates than those older. While most violent incidents take place in public places, trans and gender diverse children and youth also face neglect and violence in their own families, including through the denial of their gender identity by legal guardians. These experiences can drive trans young people into homelessness and render them to a cycle of poverty, exclusion and violence. These pieces of evidence indicate that many Member States have failed to effectively protect the rights of all people living in the EU. Therefore, TGEU recommends the European Commission to: 1. Carry out the fitness check with a view to ensuring that EU legislation and measures aimed at eradicating gender based violence and domestic violence, effectively protect “women and men, girls and boys in all their diversity”, including with regard to their gender identity and expression, and thus addresses the needs of trans women and trans men. Encourage Member States to do the same. 2. Ensure that relevant legislation and measures address violence on the grounds of gender identity and expression without excluding non-binary trans people, who do not identify as either “women” or “men”, “girls” or “boy”. Encourage Member States to do the same. 3. Ensure that the fitness check is conducted through an intersectional lens, recognising that trans people are a heterogenous group who experience violence on grounds of their gender identity and expression intersecting with their age, race and ethnicity, migrant status, social and economic status, gender, disability, religion, and other key aspects of their lives and identities. 4. Address and promote the protection of trans and gender diverse children and youth against abuse and violence coming from family members. Ensure that the denial, neglect, rejection, discrimination or violence exercised by legal guardians towards children in relation to their gender identity or expression is considered as a form of abuse. 5. Ensure that EU legislation is fully in line with evolving international human rights law standards relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), as summarised in the Yogyakarta Principles and the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10. 6. Carry out meaningful consultation with trans people and their representative organisations in all phases of the initiative. Sources: “EU-LGBTI II: A long way to go for LGBTI equality”. European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2020. “A Union of Equality: EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025”. European Commission, COM(2020) 152. 2020. “Resolution 2048 (2015) of the Council of Europe on discrimination against transgender people in Europe”. 2015. “Yogyakarta Principles” and “Yogyakarta Principles plus 10: Additional principles and state obligations on the application of international human rights law relating to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC)”. 2006 and 2017.
Read full response

Response to Delivering for children: an EU strategy on the rights of the child

4 Aug 2020

Please find attached a joint submission by the following European networks: - The European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe) - The International LGBTQI Youth & Student Organisation (IGLYO) - The Network of European LGBTIQ* Families Associations (NELFA) - Transgender Europe (TGEU)
Read full response

Meeting with Monika Ladmanova (Cabinet of Commissioner Věra Jourová)

16 Sept 2015 · Current situation of transgender people in Europe