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.

Regulation 2005/1111
OJ L 184 15.07.2005, p. 0001-0004

SP(2005)2124

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Marian HARKIN (ALDE, IE) making some amendments to the Commission’s proposal. (Please see the summary of 31/03/2004.) Parliament specified that the Governing Board will establish a Bureau of 11 members. The Governing Board will determine the strategic aims of the Foundation, and adopt the budget, the four-year rolling programme and the annual programme. The Director will forward the annual work programme and the 4 year rolling programme to the Governing Board for approval.

T6-0146/2005
OJ C 045 23.02.2006, p. 0015-0087 E

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Marian HARKIN (ALDE, IE) making some amendments to the Commission’s proposal. (Please see the summary of 31/03/2004.) Parliament specified that the Governing Board will establish a Bureau of 11 members. The Governing Board will determine the strategic aims of the Foundation, and adopt the budget, the four-year rolling programme and the annual programme. The Director will forward the annual work programme and the 4 year rolling programme to the Governing Board for approval.

T6-0146/2005

A6-0091/2005

A6-0091/2005

The committee adopted the report by Marian HARKIN (ALDE, IE) broadly approving the proposal under the consultation procedure, subject to a number of mainly technical amendments. MEPs proposed various changes to provide for a system of checks and counter-checks to ensure that the activities of the Foundation's main bodies are carried out efficiently. For example, they called for the Bureau to monitor the implementation of the decisions taken by the Governing Board, and for the latter to be fully informed of the activities and decisions of the Bureau.

The committee also called for both current and future staff of the Foundation to be brought within the scope of the EC Staff Regulations (the current staff members are subject to the Foundation's own Staff Regulations adopted in 1976).

Other amendments were aimed at strengthening the references to a balanced representation of men and women in the governing and management bodies of the Agency, enhancing transparency and ensuring the "structured engagement" of the Foundation with civil society, in particular NGOs active in the social field.

PE353.708

PE350.250

2606

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

PROPOSED ACT : Council Regulation.

CONTENT : the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions was created in 1975 and is based in Dublin. The task of the foundation is to research ideas on the improvement of living and working conditions in the light of practical experience. Its unique role in implementing these objectives has long been recognised and valued. However, in order to maintain efficiency and excellence the Foundation's core structure is in need of reform. For example, with enlargement, the Foundation's Board has increased from 48 to 78 members. In order to address the issue of flexibility external evaluators were commissioned in 2001 to prepare a report on how the Foundation's structure and procedures could be improved. A number of changes were proposed by the external evaluators, which the Commission has taken on board. Based on the conclusions of the external evaluators, as well as the opinion of the Foundation's Board, the Commission is proposing this Council Regulation as an amendment to the original legislative act setting up the Foundation in 1975. As the Commission points out some changes can and have been made internally, others require formal legislative approval. The changes envisaged are the following:

1) Reforming the role and tasks of the Administrative Board;

2) Reforming the role and task of the Foundation's Committee of Experts.

Specifically speaking, the changes being outlined in this proposal include:

- maintaining the system of national tripartite representation on the Board as a key element to the continuing success of the Foundation;

- formalising the three existing groups within the Board as well as the role of the three co-ordinator for each of the groups. The three groups relate to representatives from government, employers and employees;

- the Board should meet in principle once a year. It will be responsible for all strategic decisions relating to the annual work programme and the budget. In future it will be known as the "Governing Board", as opposed to the "Administrative Board" in a bid to reinforce its strategic, rather than administrative, role;

- as far as the Bureau is concerned it will be formally recognised and given official status under the terms of the proposed revision. Similarly, its role and relationship with the Board will be formalised;

- the Bureau will consist of eight members: the Chairperson, three vice-chairpersons of the Board, three co-ordinators and one Commission representative;

- the Bureau will have the mandate to take certain measures on behalf of the Board, if asked to do so;

- the Bureau will not vote. Decision-making will be based on consensus;

- the Committee of Experts in its current form will no longer exist;

- experts for the Committee will not be appointed on the basis of nationality but rather according to their capacity to contribute usefully to the work of the Foundation;

- provisions will be made to make it possible for the Foundation to ensure a well targeted and timely input from independent experts to its activities;

- precise arrangements will be decided by the Board on a proposal from the Director of the Foundation.

To conclude the Commission notes that the European Parliament has underlined the need to rationalise the procedures and functioning of the Foundation. The proposed changes concern mainly the governance and functioning of the Board. The proposed changes will secure the future role of the Foundation to fulfil its role in improving living and working conditions across Europe.

COM(2004)0057
EUR-Lex