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This year marks the tenth anniversary of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). Social Platform was happy join a conference on 23 January in Vilnius aimed at taking stock of the achievements of the institute so far. The conference was also a good opportunity to discuss the way forward, especially considering that progress in reaching equality between women and men in the European Union has been stalled for years. The first EU Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, delivered a keynote speech, laying out her ambitions for the years to come.

The conference also reiterated the much-needed work of EIGE, and especially praised the added-value of their annual Gender Equality Index, measuring progress in achieving gender equality in the European Union since 2005. The Gender Equality Index of 2020 will have a special focus chapter on the effects of technology on the workplace.

Having served as Director of EIGE for the past ten years and thereby completing her maximum mandate, the conference was also an important occasion to thank EIGE Director Virginija Langbakk for her commitment and work of the past decade. The new EIGE Director serving as of February 2020 will be Carlien Scheele, and we look forward to continuing our work together.