F; Consolidated Annual Activity Report of the European Institute for Gender Equality 2015 Table of contents Acronyms .5 Foreword ofthe Director 7 Management Board’s analysis and assessment 9 Introduction 12 Executive summary 13 Key conclusions on resource managementand internal control effectiveness 15 1 Achievements ofthe year 16 1.1 Overall objectives 16 1.2 Focal areas and tools for 2015 16 1.2.1 Comparable, reliable data and indicators on genderequality 16 1.2.1.1 Collection ofdata and statistics in the 12 Critical Areas ofConcern ofthe BPIA/Supporting the Latvian, Luxembourg, Dutch and Slovak Presidencies ofthe Council ofthe EU 16 1.2.1.2 Gender-based violence 19 1.2.1.3 Gender Equality Index and GenderStatistics Database 22 1.2.2 Implementing gender equalityand gender mainstreaming 26 1.2.2.1.1 Methods, tools and good practices to support policy implementation 27 1.2.2.1.2 Benefits ofgender equality 28 1.2.3 Resource and Documentation Centre (RDC) 30 1.2.4 Awareness raising, networking and communication 31 1.2.4.1 Communicating gender equality 31 1.2.4.2 EIGE’s stakeholders and partners 33 International cooperation 34 2 Management 36 2.1 Management Board and Experts’ Forum activities 36 2.2 Major developments 36 2.3 Budgetaryand financial management 37 2.4 Human resources management 39 2.5 Assessment by management 42 2.6 Assessmentofaudit results during the reportingyear 43 2.6.1 European CourtofAuditors (ECA) 43 2.6.2 Internal AuditService (lAS) 44 2.7 Follow-up of recommendations and action plans foraudits 44 2.7.1 European Court ofAuditors (ECA) 44 2.7.2 Internal AuditService (lAS) 45 2 2.8 Follow-up ofobservationsfrom the Discharge Authority 47 2.9 Follow-up ofobservations from the European Ombudsman 47 2.10 Implementation ofthe Common Approach 48 2.11 Data protection 48 2.12 External Evaluations 49 2.13 Publicaccesstodocuments 49 2.14 Key performance indicators 50 3 Assessment ofthe effectiveness ofthe internal control system 51 3.1 Riskmanagement 51 3.2 Fraud prevention and monitoring 51 3.3 Compliance and effectiveness ofInternal Control Standards (ICS) 51 4 Managementassurance 54 4.1 Review ofthe elements supporting assurance 54 4.2 Overall conclusion on assurance 54 Declaration ofAssurance 55 ANNEXES 56 ANNEX 1: Achievementofoutput indicators EIGE’s Annual Work Programme 2015 56 — 2.1 COMPARABLE, RELIABLE DATA AND INDICATORS ON GENDER EQUALITY 56 2.2 IMPLEMENTING GENDER EQUALiTY AND GENDER MAINSTREAMING 59 2.3 RESOURCE and DOCUMENTATION CENTRE (RDC) 60 2.4 AWARENESS RAISING, NETWORKINGAND COMMUNICATION 61 2.5 EFFECTIVE ORGANISATION AND EIGE BODIES 63 ANNEX 2: Information aboutthe studies conducted by EIGE in 2015 64 ANNEX 3: List ofManagement Board Membersand Alternates 78 ANNEX 4: List ofmeetings in 2015 (Management Board, Experts’ Forum) 79 ANNEX5: Budgetaryand financial management in detail 80 BUDGETARY IMPLEMENTATION 80 TRANSFERS 82 CARRY-OVERS 83 BUDGETOUUURN 84 REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE 86 ACCOUNTING 87 ANNEX 6: Public procurementin detail 90 ANNEX 7: List of2015 contracts 92 ANNEX 8: Human resources managementin detail 98 ANNEX9: Registerofexceptions 105 3 ANNEX 10: Key performance indicatorsforthe Director 106 4 Acronyms ABAC Accrual-basedaccounting system used by EIGE AOIAOSD Authorising OfficerfAuthorising Officer by Sub-Delegation in EIGE AWP Annual Work Programme BPfA Beijing Platform forAction CdT TheTranslation Centreforthe Bodies ofthe European Union DG Budget Directorate-General for Budget DG EMPL Directorate-General for Employment,Social Affairs and Inclusion DH HR Directorate-General Human Resources and Security DG AS Directorate-General Internal Audit Service DGJRC Directorate-General Joint Research Centre DGJUST Directorate-General Justiceand Consumers DG NEAR Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations - DPO Data Protection Officer in EIGE EaP Eastern Partnership EC European Commission ECA European CourtofAuditors EDPS European Data Protection Supervisor EF Experts’ Forum EIGE European Institutefor Gender Equality EP European Parliament EU European Union ERA European Research Area EWL European Women’s Lobby FEMM European ParliamentCommitteeon Women’s Rights and GenderEquality FR Financial Regulation FRA European Union Agencyfor Fundamental Rights FRONTEX European Agency for Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the MemberStatesofthe European Union FTE Full-Time Equivalent FWC FrameworkContract GBV Gender-Based Violence GM Gender Mainstreaming GREVIO GroupofExpertson Action againstViolence againstWomen and DomesticViolence HICN Heads ofCommunication and Information Network (one ofthe inter-agency networks) HR Human Resources ICS Internal Control Standards IPA Instrumentfor Pre-Accession Assistance MB Management Board MEP Memberofthe European Parliament MTWP Multi-Annual Work Programme MS European Union Member State OLAF European Commission Anti-Fraud Office PDN Performance Development Network PM Project Manager in EIGE PMO PaymasterOffice PMT Project managementtool RDC Resource and Documentation Centre ofEIGE SlAP Strategic Internal Audit Plan 2015—2017for EIGE 5 SNE Seconded National Expert SPD Single Programming Document SR StaffRegulations UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization VRD Victims’ Rights Directive WHO World Health Organization 6 Foreword of the Director In 2015, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) proved yet again that Europe still has a long way to go to achieve full equality between women and men. Over the past year, EIGE worked hard to address these inequalities by providing evidence-based research, reliable data and knowledge to inform policymaking and ultimately increase the quality of life for women and men in Europe. Although our work began just five years ago, EIGE has already gained a reputation as the number one source of information on gender equality knowledge in the EU. This was one of the findings from the External Evaluation carried out in 2014-2015, which assessed the Institute’s achievements in its first five years of operation. Besides confirming that all of EIGE’s activities are consistent with its mandate and in line with EU priorities on gender equality, the evaluation also found that EIGE offers substantial added value to the EU by providing comparative data, analysis and top-level expertise. In 2015, EIGE produced the second edition of its Gender Equality Index, which is increasingly recognised as Europe’s monitoring tool for gender equality and allows meaningful comparison across EU Member States over the years. In this edition, the Index advanced in developing a composite indicator to measure violence against women. For the first time, the methodology developed by EIGE to calculate the Gender Equality Index travelled outside the EU’s borders. As part of our work to support EU candidate countries in meeting accession requirements (through the instrument for pre-accession assistance, or IPA), EIGE supported Serbia in calculating its very own Gender Equality Index. In our pursuit to strengthen the dissemination of gender equality facts and figures to key stakeholders, and as recommended by the External Evaluation, EIGE introduced a fresh management approach and set up a Knowledge Management and Communications Unit. Over the next three years, EIGE’s communications and stakeholder work will be informed by a new strategy and its focus will be on timely, creative and effective communication for all our audiences. The European Commission’s new ‘Strategic engagement for gender equality 2016-2019’ focuses on five priority areas, many of which EIGE contributed data and research to in 2015. As an example, the study on women in decision-making, which includes good practices, supports the work ofthe European Commission to promote gender-balanced decision-making. Our analysis of the Victims Rights’ Directive from a gender perspective will complement the work of the Commission and the Member States on the future monitoring of its implementation. Furthermore, the emphasis on integrating a gender equality perspective into all EU policies is supported by EIGE’s gender mainstreaming platform, which shows how to incorporate a gender perspective into many sectors of EU policymaking, including sport, energy and the digital agenda. EIGE has an important mission to fulfil, and even more so today with the current challenges facing Europe. From the impacts of the financial crisis to increasing migration challenges, internal security concerns and rising intolerance and discrimination, it is more important than ever that the response to these challenges takes into consideration a gendered approach. 7 Over the next three years, EIGE’s work will be guided by the Single Programming Document 2016-2018, which is a new approach to planning adopted by the Institute in 2015. The main objective set out in the multi-annual Work Programme is to build on EIGE’s capacities to provide high-quality unique data that will assist policymakers in mainstreaming a gender perspective in their work. It will allow EIGE to react to needs and priorities as they arise and ensure that the Institute’s work remains relevantthroughout the period. With the dedication of each staff member and continued direction and support from the Management Board, Experts’ Forum and our valued stakeholders, I am confident that in 2016 EIGE will supportthe Member States and the Commission to take yet another step forward in theirtask of bringing Europe closer to full gender equality. 8 Management Board’s analysis and assessment The Management Board (MB) of the European Institute for Gender Equality takes note of the Authorising Officer’s (Director’s) Consolidated Annual Activity Report (CAAR) for the financial year of201 5, prepared in accordance with Article47 ofthe Financial Rules (FR) applicable to EIGE. In assessing the 2015 CAAR, the Management Board wishes to highlight thefollowing points: EIGE’s WorkloadandAchievements • The report provides a comprehensive and detailed account of the extensive activities carried out by the Agency in 2015 in order to implement its mandate and the Annual Work Programme for the past year. • The Management Board endorses the unique role played by EIGE in preparing high quality innovative research; collecting harmonised data and undertaking comprehensive data analysis to complement and inform the work of the European Institutions and Member States in the field ofgender equality at European and Member State levels. • The Management Board notes that the suite of output indicators (detailed in annex 1) shows the achievement of the great majority of indicators and offers clarifications of the circumstances leading to underachievement of a small number of indicators. The Management Board will monitor closely the achievement of output indicators during 2016. • The Management Board welcomes the completion during 2015 ofthe extensive appraisal of EIGE’s achievements and its impacts, undertaken by a team of independent external evaluators in accordance with Article 20 of EIGE’s Founding Regulation. The Management Board welcomes the many positive findings and recommendations made by the Evaluators. These recommendations have informed the content ofthe next periodic work programme. Full cognizance has been taken ofa small number of issues ofconcern which emerged from the Evaluation and these are already being addressed and will be further reviewed in the future. • The Management Board engaged collaboratively with the Director and her management team in a review of the implementation of EIGE’s existing multi-annual work programme in order to develop its successor, prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the Secretariat General ofthe European Commission. • The Management Board welcomes the creation of a new Knowledge Management and Communications Unit, which will further strengthen EIGE’s ability to disseminate and highlight its work, bringing its research, databases and guidance tools to an ever wider readership. 9 FinancialIssues • In accordance with the Financial Regulations applicable to EIGE, this Consolidated Annual Activity Report for 2015 also provides a satisfactory overview of the financial information for the year; risks related to the organisation’s activities and the measures taken to address them. • The Management Board welcomes the report of the Director, advising that she has identified no reservations or critical issues related to financial affairs for the financial year of201 5. • The Management Board acknowledges that the European Court of Auditors’ audit on the reliability of the annual accounts and the legality and regularity of the financial transactions of the financial year 2014 showed that the annual accounts presented fairly, in all material respects, EIGE’s financial position as at 31 December 2014 and the results of EIGE’s operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in accordance with the provisions of EIGE’s Financial Regulation and the accounting rules adopted by the Commission’s accounting officer. • The Management Board notes a reasonably high execution of the budget with commitment appropriations up to 98.55 % in 2015 (compared to 88 % in 201 1 but slightly below 99.04% achieved in 2014), while payment appropriations in 2015 were 67.64% (a fall of4 pps compared with 71.99% in 2014). • Furthermore, the Management Board notes that the level of carryovers particularly in respect ofTitle Ill (Operating Expenditure) has also increased in 2015. While this situation is explained in this Report, the Management Board is also mindful of the comments and advice of the Court of Auditors (2014) and will work closely with the EIGE Management team in 2016 on measures to reduce the level ofsuch carryovers in the future. Concluding Comments The year 2015 represented an onerous year for EIGE, during which the Institute was required to deliver an extensive body of work in accordance with its Annual Work Programme, while also engaging in the External Evaluation process and developing a new multi-annual work programme to coverthe nextthree years. The wide range of outputs of EIGE in 2015 are outlined in this Consolidated Annual Activity Report and offer an important body ofwork to support the ongoing EU goals required to achieve gender equality. 10