Egalité

Dear members,

In order to better focus our work during the coming twelve months, we are launching this survey to learn more about your experiences working in the EU institutions, the problems you may have encountered and any needs you may have.

The questionnaire is anonymous, unless you choose to provide your email address so that we can contact you for follow-up on your issues/suggestions.

Feel free to forward the link to this survey to LGBTI+ colleagues who may not be Egalité members.

Thank you for taking 5 minutes to fill in this short questionnaire.

Follow this link to fill in the questionnaire

Thank you for helping us to better support you!

Egalité Committee

We have a pleasure of inviting you to Égalité’s General Assembly that will take place on 28 September at 18h in the Restaurant Kafenio. The General Assembly will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a dinner.

 

The Égalité Committee has been working closely with the European Commission over the past years to resolve a number of issues some of our colleagues have been having with regard to medical reimbursements and work-life balance provisions, while at the same time working to help create a more inclusive working environment.

Since our meeting with member of the European Commission, Mr. Oettinger on these issues in February 2017, the cooperation has intensified and the Égalité Committee was consulted during the preparation of the Communication to the Commission: A better work place for all: from equal opportunities towards diversity and inclusion.

The Commission adopted the communication  on 19 July 2017. The Égalité Committee is pleased with the content, especially as the communication calls for creating “a culture where everybody is valued and respected”, and putting in place “targeted measures” that enable LGBTI staff “to feel comfortable and confident to be open about their LGBTI identity and hence fully participate in the social dimension of the workplace”, It also calls for an active exchange of information and good practices with international companies and public administrations, which reflects member of the Commission, Mr. Oettinger’s view that the Commission should lead by example towards both the other EU institutions and the administrations of the Member States.

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The Commission has replied to Égalité’s letter concerning discrimination with regard to the reimbursement of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) costs and the request for granting leave equivalent to maternity or adoption leave to gay men when having a child born through surrogacy. On IVF costs, the Commission rejects our arguments that lesbian colleagues undergoing IVF treatment are being discriminated against when having to demonstrate a “proven pathology of the male person of the couple” in order for these costs to be reimbursed. The Commission argues that the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) can only reimburse “the medical expenses of its beneficiaries resulting from illness, accidents and confinement”. In this regard, lesbian couples would qualify for reimbursement if there should be “a fertility issue of the beneficiary/ies of the JSIS in a female couple, or any other woman with or without a male partner”.

The reply from the Commission did however bring good news as well: the Commission is currently revising the Decision on Leave, and in this context promised to “critically appraise” our request for introducing an adoption leave for gay men having children born through surrogacy that would be equivalent to current maternity and adoption leave provisions. The Decision is scheduled to be adopted by the end of the year.

For those of you having children through surrogacy already in the course of this year, please contact the Egalité Committee so we can assist you with preparation of your request.