Gender equality: establishment of a European Institute for Gender Equality

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Lissy GRONER (PES, DE) and Amalia SARTORI (EPP-ED, IT), on the common position. The report was based on an agreement with the Council and the Commission, which will enable the new European Institute for Gender Equality to start work in 2007. The amendments were as follows:

- for members of the Management board, the term of office will be three years. For each term of office, the members appointed by the Council shall represent eighteen Members States in the order of the rotating Presidencies, one member being nominated by each Member State concerned. One member will represent the Commission;

- the Bureau is replaced by an "Experts' Forum" with members from competent bodies specialised in gender equality issues. The Member States and the Commission must aim to achieve a balanced representation between men and women in the Experts' Forum. The Experts' Forum shall support the Director in ensuring the excellence and independence of activities of the Institute. It will constitute a mechanism for an exchange of information in relation to gender equality issues and the pooling of knowledge. It must ensure close cooperation between the Institute and competent bodies in the Member States. The Experts' Forum will be chaired by the Director or, in his/her absence, by a deputy from within the Institute. It will meet regularly at the invitation of the Director, or at the request of at least a third of its members, and at least once per year. Its operational procedures will be specified in the Institute's internal rules and be made public. The Director may invite experts or representatives of relevant economic sectors, employers, trade unions, professional or research bodies, or non-governmental organisations with recognised experience in disciplines related to the work of the Institute to cooperate in specific tasks and to take part in the relevant activities of the Experts' Forum;

- the Director will be appointed by the Management Board on the basis of a list of candidates proposed by the Commission after an open competition, following publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and elsewhere of a call for expressions of interest. Before being appointed, the candidate selected by the Management Board shall be asked to make a declaration before the competent committee(s) of the European Parliament and answer questions from its/their members;

- the external evaluation shall also examine the appropriateness of the management structure in carrying out the Institute's tasks.