"In the address, the committee expressed disapproval of the EP proposal, as it thinks this would undermine the role of the mechanism designed to secure gender equality," reads a press release circulated on Monday.
According to the document, the institute helps European institutions, as well as member-states of the European Union (EU) in promoting and enhancing gender equality policies, fighting gender discrimination and raising consciousness of EU citizens on gender equality.
The EP has approved a report, which proposes discussing the bid to merge the institute and the agency in an effort to avoid overlapping functions and cut added costs.
Romanian MEP Monica Macovei, who drafted the report, says that a final merger decision is yet to be made. Furthermore, in her words, Lithuania should attempt to move the Agency for Fundamental Rights from the Austrian capital in case of future merger.
"I am rapporteur of the European Parliament for the discharge for the financial year 2010 for 24 european agencies. For the gender equality institute in Vilnius, there is a report on it saying that the acounts and the work is good and so discharge is granted," Macovei told BNS.
"No one has anything against this institute. We think that it does a very good job and we know it's young. The idea was to look in the future, there's nothing to happen now. (...) We didn't vote on a merger, we voted on a general report, which has 13 pages and which refers to all the issues related to the management of agencies," the Romanian MEP said.
In her words, even if a decision is made to merge some EU agencies, for example, the bodies in Vilnius and Vienna, Lithuania should fight for keeping the merged agency in its capital.
"It's not something that will happen now or maybe never, it's a consideration to think of this. Maybe you do a merger and you move to Vilnius the Fundamental Rights Agency from Vienna and you make a big institute of fundamental rights and gender equality in Vilnius. Vienna has four agencies anyway. I explain this to you to show that it's not directed against the institute, the subject, or the country. It's because I and others believe that maybe we have too many agencies. And it is time to think of how to reduce some costs," Macovei added.
"It (the report) doesn't say: take it from Vilnius. (...) It's not in the power of the parliament. The decision to set up agencies stays with the Commission and the Council. My suggestion would be now on a personal note that Vilnius should have the institute, which is in Vienna now, moved to Vilnius. The government should try and fight for this, it's not easy," the MEP concluded.
