This paper scrutinizes the way in which intersectional concerns are articulated in European Union (EU) policies, to understand what moves the development of intersectional approaches, and what opportunities and constraints exist for addressing particular intersections and not others. The paper will firstly explore what is meant by ‘intersectional approach in politics’ and to what extent an intersectional approach is empowering for groups at the point of intersections. It will secondly address EU policies on gender based violence (GBV), analyzing how intersectionality is articulated, why some intersections are more present than others, and what political approach to intersectionality is applied in the EU case of GBV policies. Empirically the paper will be based on EU policy documents (1995-2008) analyzed under the European QUING research project, and updated with a selection of most recent documents, as well as interviews with key policy actors.
