From Helsinki to Crete and from Lisbon to Vilnius, specialised agencies have been established to provide services, information, know-how and advice to the European Union, its Member States and citizens. At an upcoming exhibition at the European Parliament, 29 EU agencies will come together to explain what they do, why they exist and how they impact on the lives of Europe’s 500 million citizens.
European agencies have been set up in successive waves since the mid-1970s and today form an important part of the EU’s institutional landscape. ‘The European agencies play a key role in supporting and implementing EU policies and in responding to needs identified by the EU and its Member States,’ says Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, who currently chairs the Heads of Agencies (HoA) network. ‘Agencies are also making a strong contribution to the Europe 2020 strategy by performing a variety of legal, technical and scientific tasks across a broad range of policy areas’, he adds.
The purpose of the exhibition is to raise awareness among MEPs on the role of the agencies and how these bodies can support them in their daily work. In four thematic teams, the agencies will demonstrate how they: help make Europe a safe, healthy and sustainable place to live and work; work for a free, fair and safe Europe; support the European vision for more jobs, improved lives and a better society; and keep Europe moving around the clock. A rich programme of activities will feature live interviews, slideshows, round tables and briefings. The EMCDDA will be exhibiting as part of the Freedom, justice and security thematic cluster.
Entrusting the agencies with specific tasks has become an established part of the way in which the EU conducts business today. As the European Parliament, Council and Commission work towards a common approach on agencies, this exhibition takes stock of how far the agencies have come and how they see the way ahead.
The event is coordinated by the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which currently presides over the agencies’ Heads of Communication and Information Network (HCIN). Journalists are invited to visit the stand during the four-day exhibition where interviews may be set up with agency personnel.
Full programme details are available at: www.emcdda.europa.eu/eu-agencies-the-way-ahead
Venue: European Parliament, Brussels, ASP building, 3rd floor, 31.01.2011–03.02.2011.
Tel. (351) 211 21 02 32/40 (up to 28 January, EMCDDA press office).
Tel. (351) 93 599 40 29 (from 31 January, at the stand).
