The Catalunya Europa Foundation presented this week at the European Parliament Library in Brussels the book Women in the Shadow of European Construction, by journalist Júlia Manresa. The event featured the participation of the author and Lina Gálvez, MEP and President of the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

Dolors Camats, director of the Catalunya Europa Foundation, substituted Airy Maragall and used her intervention to highlight the foundational values of the organization: a federalist vision of Europe, the quality of democracy, the central role of cities as agents of innovation, and the Mediterranean as a space for dialogue and peace.

Manresa’s book emphasizes the fundamental —and often overlooked— role of women in building the European project, adopting a critical and feminist perspective that advocates for a more just historical memory. The Foundation has translated the work into Spanish and English and donated copies to the European Parliament Library, making them accessible to both MEPs and the general public.

During the event, the discussion stressed the need to rethink Europe from a perspective that recognizes women’s central role, while preserving the foundational values of the European project and addressing current global challenges. The exchange of reflections concluded with questions on the major pending tasks in feminism and gender equality, encouraging the placement of these values at the heart of Europe’s future.