Commission Regulation (EC) No 20/2009 of 13 January 2009 adopting the specifications of the 2010 ad hoc module on reconciliation between work and family life provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 (Text with EEA relevance)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 of 9 March 1998 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community (1), and in particular Article 4(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 365/2008 of 23 April 2008 adopting the programme of ad hoc modules, covering the years 2010, 2011 and 2012, for the labour force sample survey provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 (2) includes an ad hoc module on reconciliation between work and family life.

(2) Council Decision 2008/618/EC of 15 July 2008 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (3), the European Commission’s Roadmap on equality between women and men (4) and the European Pact for Gender Equality (5) encourage Member States to take measures to promote a better work-life balance for all in terms of childcare, care facilities for other dependents and the promotion of parental leave for both women and men. Consequently, a comprehensive and comparable set of data on reconciliation between work and family life is needed in order to monitor progress towards the objectives of the European Employment Strategy and to measure the impact of recent policies in this area.

(3) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Statistical Programme Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The detailed list of information to be collected in 2010 by the ad hoc module on reconciliation between work and family life shall be as set out in the Annex.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 13 January 2009.

For the Commission Joaquín ALMUNIA Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 77, 14.3.1998, p. 3.

(2) OJ L 112, 24.4.2008, p. 22.

(3) OJ L 198, 26.7.2008, p. 47.

(4) COM(2006) 92 final.

(5) Presidency Conclusion of the Brussels European Council of 23-24 March 2006.