The process of European integration has always been accompanied by theory-building. A wide range of integration theories, from classical theories such as federalism, neofunctionalism, and intergovernmentalisms to more recent approaches such as multi-level governance, critical theory, neoinstitutionalim, and Europeanization, as well as sociological, legal and social constructivist perspectives, continues to define the theoretical landscape. Despite their diversity, these theories share a basic neglect, i.e. the theoretical implications of the relationship between European integration and the restructuring of gender relations in European member states. At the same time, a rich body of gender studies on the EU and European integration has evolved; yet, this literature has generally neglected to engage with theorizing integration itself. The panel takes these blind spots as a starting point and initiates a dialogue between main-/malestream European integration theories and gender studies. Investigating several integration theories with a gender lens, the panel illustrates if and how gender scholarship has made or can make creative use of integration theories. The contributions foster the ongoing theoretical debate on European integration by enriching it with a comprehensive gender perspective.