[autom.vertaling] Het Instituut van de Gelijkheid van het geslacht in gebruik in 2007? (en)

The Committee on Women's Rights adopted on Tuesday a first reading report on plans to set up a European Institute for Gender Equality. While strongly supporting the creation of this new Community body, MEPs wish to make it more effective by sharpening the focus of its work. They also want guarantees about the management board's gender balance. It is hoped the institute will be able to start work next year.

The report, drafted by Lissy Gröner (PES, DE) and Amalia Sartori (EPP-ED, IT), was adopted with 23 votes to 3 with 0 abstentions.     

The committee wants the institute to be operational "as soon as possible" and certainly no later than twelve months after the regulation establishing it enters into force. EU governments have not yet decided where the institute is to be located but Maria Rauch-Kallat, Austrian Minister for Health and Women's Issues, told MEPs she is hoping for an agreement soon, so that the Institute can start work in 2007.

The Women's Committee wants to make the institute more proactive by shifting the focus of its work away from the mere collection and recording of data on gender equality and towards the analysis of such data, so as to enable the EU to "effectively promote and implement gender equality policy".   MEPs believe that what is lacking at EU and national level is a capacity to pool analysis and come up with innovative solutions on, for example, gender mainstreaming.  

Regarding the institute's Management Board, whose members are to be appointed by the Commission, Council and Parliament, MEPs say the aim must be to achieve an equal representation between women and men and that there should at least be a "guarantee that the representation of both sexes is not below 40%".

The Institute will be funded by the Commission with a proposed budget of €52.5 million for the period 2007 to 2013. 

24/01/2006

Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

Chair : Anna Záborská (EPP-ED, SK)

Procedure: Co-decision, first reading

Plenary vote: March, Strasbourg