Tallinn 2018
WORKING GROUP REPORTS
EUFASA Website & Web Solutions
Switzerland (Head), Austria, EU, Finland, UK
Annual report on EUFASA website improvements, EUFASA Job Platform, intranet archiving developments and new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Work & Employment
EU & Belgium (Heads), Austria, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, UK
Launch of the EUFASA Job Platform where Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) and other organisations can post job vacancies at missions abroad.
The Job Platform Includes a link to the UK FCO Job Search website.
EUFASA Think Tank
Austria, Estonia
A review of EUFASA’s concerns and topics to be researched for future reports in order to continue to raise awareness and gain support for family-friendly policies within EU MFAs.
Rights of Children
Italy & Ireland (Heads), France, Poland, UK
The aim is to ensure that all Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) children have the right to education, health cover, travel allowances and professional support.
Partnership Issues
Finland, Germany, Ireland
Partnership issues have been discussed at several conferences: 2004 Dublin, 2006 Vienna, 2007 Berlin, 2008 Paris, 2009 Prague, 2011 Budapest, 2012 Warsaw, 2014 Rome, 2018 Tallinn. This is a work in progress with the aim of finding a new approach to the issue.
Proposal for EUFASA Legal Matters Working Group
The main functions would be:
– Capacity Building Unit to support the Steering Committee
– Drafting Unit to review EUFASA documents at a professional level
– Advisory Board to identify improvements
Proposal for New Associations Working Group
Switzerland
The purpose is to encourage EU/EAA country MFA spouses associations to join or re-join EUFASA and to assist EU/EAA country MFA spouses to create associations.
– Countries without an association:
– EU countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania
– Non-EU country: Lichtenstein
– Countries with defunct associations (Past EUFASA Members):
– Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden
GUEST SPEAKERS
Gender Equality in Czech Foreign Policy
Overview of projects on Gender Equality in Czech Foreign Policy
Ing. Mgr. Kateřina Kočí, Ph.D., Institute of International Relations, Prague
The Czech Foreign Service Act
Overview of the new Czech Republic Foreign Service Act. The Czech MFA Spouses Association collaborated on their MFA Foreign Service Act. New benefits for MFA Officers’ spouses, families and dependants for social security, pension, employment and compensation make the Czech Foreign Service Act an important milestone of achievement in EU MFA family policy.
Margarita Stepankova, EUFASA Delegate, Czech Republic
NetExpat Relocating Partner Survey www.netexpat.com
Overview of the NetExpat 2018 Relocating Partner Survey conducted by Ernst & Young. Comparison of results for EUFASA members to those of corporations and International Governmental Organisations (IGOs). Some EU MFAs offer NetExpat job-search services to their spouses/partners.
Katja de Decker, NetExpat Director, Client Services
Dr.Winfried Guba, NetExpat Director, Germany & Austria
The Experiences of Wives of Diplomats during Diplomatic Assignments
Overview of personal and professional background of diplomatic wives, based on interviews with Foreign Service spouses.
Ms Nicole Nasr, Doctorate Candidate, Counselling Psychology, City University, London
Diplomatic Moves: a photographic project www.artisformae.com
Photographic work and exhibitions of Ms Bory, a professional photographer and spouse of the Luxembourg Ambassador to COPS, Brussels.
Christine Bory, EUFASA Delegate, Luxembourg