It sets up a committee to ensure regular consultations and exchanges between bodies and institutions that promote equal opportunities between women and men in EU countries.
The Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men is intended to help the European Commission formulate and implement measures to promote equal opportunities for women and men. It does this by encouraging the exchange of relevant experience, policies and practices between EU countries and the various parties involved.
The Committee has 70 members with a 3-year renewable term of office comprising:
The European Women’s Lobby is represented at committee meetings by 2 members as observers. Representatives of international, professional and membership organisations may also be admitted as observers following a reasoned request made to the Commission.
The Committee elects a Chairperson and 2 Vice-Chairpersons from among its members for a period of 1 year.
The Chairperson may invite any person who is specially qualified in a particular subject on the agenda to take part in the work of the Committee as an expert.
The Committee is brought together by the Commission and meets at least twice a year at the Commission’s headquarters. The Committee’s discussions are based on requests for opinions made by the Commission and on those delivered on its own initiative. They are not followed by a vote.
Commission Decision 2008/590/EC codifies and repeals Decision 82/43/EEC which originally set up an Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and which was amended several times.
Commission Decision 2008/590/EC of 16 June 2008 relating to the setting up of an Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (Codified version) (OJ L 190, 18.7.2008, pp. 17–21)
Successive amendments to Decision 2008/590/EC have been incorporated into the basic text. This consolidated version is for reference only.
last update 18.01.2016