European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

PURPOSE : to reinforce the strategic role of the Administrative Board of the European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (Dublin) and to confer more administrative task on the Bureau.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Regulation 1111/2005/EC amending Regulation 1365/75/EEC on the creation of a European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

CONTENT : the tasks of the Foundation are to develop and to pursue ideas on the improvement of living and working conditions in the medium and long term in the light of practical experience and to identify factors leading to change.

The Foundation shall cooperate as closely as possible with specialised institutions, foundations and bodies in the Member States and at international level. In particular, the Foundation shall ensure appropriate cooperation with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, without prejudice to its own aims.

The governing and management structure of the Foundation shall comprise of a Governing Board; a Bureau and a Director and Deputy Director. The Governing Board shall consist of one member representing the Government from each Member State; one member representing the employers’ organisations from each Member State; one member representing the employees’ organisations from each Member State; three members representing the Commission. The term of office of members of the Governing Board shall be three years. It shall be renewable.

Upon the expiry of their term of office or in the event of their resignation, members shall remain in office until their appointments are renewed or until they are replaced.

The Governing Board shall elect its chair and three vice-chairs, one from each of the three groups and one from among the Commission representatives, to serve for a period of one year, which may be renewed.

The chair shall convene the Governing Board at least once a year. The chair shall convene additional meetings at the request of at least one-third of the members of the Governing Board.

Within the Governing Board, the representatives of governments, employees’ organisations and employers’ organisations shall each form a group. Each group shall designate a coordinator who will take part in the meetings of the Governing Board. The coordinators of the employees’ and employers’ groups shall be representatives of their respective organisations at European level. Coordinators who are not appointed Board members within the meaning of paragraph 1 shall take part in meetings without the right to vote.

The Governing Board shall establish a Bureau of 11 members. The Bureau shall be made up of the chair and the three vice-chairs of the Governing Board, one coordinator per group and one more representative of each group and of the Commission. Each group may designate up to three alternates to attend the meetings of the Bureau, in the absence of the full members.

The Director shall draw up an annual work programme before 1 July each year on the basis of specific guidelines. The annual work programme shall be part of a four-year rolling programme. The projects in the annual work programme shall be accompanied by an estimate of the necessary expenditure.

Lastly, provisions have been included to extend the application of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities to the staff of the Foundation. Hitherto the Foundation has had its own Staff Regulations.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 04/08/2005.