The Confederation of Family Organisations in the E.U (COFACE) is the link between E.U. institutions and organisations representing families at national level. It gathers 75 family organisations, many of which are groupings of organisations representing more than 400 national associations defending the interests of the 100 million European families.

Aims

COFACE recommends a genuine European family policy, i.e. a policy that takes into account the family dimension of the economic, social, cultural and educational policies implemented at European level. It demands that the E.U. Treaty explicitly refers to this family dimension so that the Union is legally entitled to intervene when the family dimension is involved at the European level.

Structures

COFACE's structures are organised in a way that guarantees a real representativeness :

Each year, the General Assembly, open to representatives of all member organisations, sets the guidelines.

The Administrative Council is the most important deliberative body; the administrators represent their country

The Bureau monitors the implementation of decisions taken by the Administrative Council.

Working groups work in specific fields : standard of living of families, housing, families and disabled persons, education, health, consumer and economic affairs, ...
These working groups prepare documents (such as opinions) which are submitted to the approval of the Administrative Council or the General Assembly. Once they are adopted these documents build up the basis of COFACE's guidelines.

Representation on other bodies

COFACE is officially represented in various advisory bodies of the European Commission (Consumer Committee, the European Disability Forum, Agricultural and Social Advisory Committees, ...). It keeps regular contacts with other E.U institutions : the European Parliament (i.e. with Committees such as Social Affairs, Consumer: Family and Child's rights Intergroup, Disabled Persons Intergroup, Consumers' Intergroup), the Economic and Social Committee, the Council of Ministers. On the international level, COFACE is an observer member of the International Union of Family Organisations (IUFO).

Mission

COFACE was originally founded in 1958 as the European Action Committee of the International Union of Family Organizations (IUFO). Over time, it gained more independence, and in 1979 turned itself into an international not-for-profit voluntary organization with the name Confederation of Family Organizations in the European Community, now the European Union.

Contacts

William LAY
Director

COFACE a.s.b.l.
17, Rue de Londres
B-1050 Bruxelles

Tel. +32 2 511 41 79
Fax. +32 2 514 47 73
E-Mail: secretariat@coface-eu.org

http://www.coface-eu.org