| Type of parliamentary body |
Multifunctional |
| Nature |
Permanent |
| Related to chambers |
Deutscher Bundestag
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| Date of creation |
Created by the Bundesrat on 5 July 1991 |
| Last renewal date |
N/A |
| Mandate |
The Committee on Women and Youth deals with bills that fall within the sphere of competence of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ): equal opportunities; children and young people; and community service.
<br>The Committee examines the following topics: general equal opportunities policy; general policy on children and youth; gender mainstreaming; equal opportunities at work; social work with young people; assistance to children and young people; protection of children and young people; pregnancy counselling; sex education; and community service issues.
<br>The Committee on Women and Youth is in charge of examining federal government bills submitted to the Bundesrat via the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the aforementioned areas.
<br>The Committee also deals with bills from the State ministries competent in these fields? The Committee is also involved in assessing bills primarily handled by any of the other 15 Bundesrat committees if these touch on the above policy areas. In addition to examining proposed bills and ordinances (implementing regulations) within national legislation, the Committee considers a range of European Union (EU) proposals in areas where the EU devises policy. |
| Membership |
The 16 Committee members are Members of the (state) governments of the German Länder. It is usually the Ministers for Women and Youth of the Länder who are appointed to the Committee.
<p>Composition by sex: 7 men (43.7%), 9 women (56.2%) |
| Working methods |
The Bundesrat, like all parliamentary bodies, has permanent committees within its ranks, which submit recommendations in relation to decisions to be taken by the Federal Council as a whole. Their fields of responsibility correspond to areas of ministerial jurisdiction. Thus, the expertise of the federal government is complemented by that of the Bundesrat and the states. Each of the 16 states has one member and one vote on each committee. This means that the distribution of votes in the committees differs from that in the upper chamber. Committee meetings are not open to the public. The Premiers of the states normally represent them in the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees. Relevant ministers attend the other committees, that is, the so-called expert committees. "Delegated commissioners" (experts from the ministries) may represent all committee members. This is the only way possible to cope with the reality of being a state minister and a member of the Bundesrat at the same time. This right of representation is employed most often in the expert committees. Some committees almost always meet in "civil servant groups". The states' experts, who come from the state capitals, sit across the table from federal ministry officials who attend as federal "commissioners". Committee consultations of this kind have helped a great deal in ensuring that specialized issues are analysed very objectively and expertly within the Bundesrat, thus guaranteeing an effective check on the work of the federal executive. |
| Relations with other parliamentary bodies |
As a committee, it prepares the Decisions of the Bundesrat Plenary. |
| Relations with external bodies |
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| Subjects dealt with |
Prevention of discrimination is a permanent issue (see, for example, the Law on the Implementation of the EU Anti-Discrimination Directives, Official Document of the Bundesrat 445/05). |
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
| Main address |
Office of the Committee on Women and Youth
Bundesrat,
11055 Berlin
Germany |
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PRESIDING OFFICER(S)
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| Name |
Ms. Gerlinde Kuppe |
| Notes |
Chairperson
Committee on Women and Youth |
| Name |
Ms. Gitta Trauernicht |
| Notes |
Deputy Chairperson
Committee on Women and Youth
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SECRETARY
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| Name |
Ms. Beate Schmidt |
| Notes |
Head
Office of the Committee on Women and Youth |
| Address (if different from above) |
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| Phone |
+ 49 1 888 91 00 531 |
| Fax |
+ 49 1 888 91 00 400 |
| E-mail |
530.schmidt@bundesrat.de |
| web site: |
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| Notes |
Information received on: 15 December 2005; Updated on 27 October 2006 |
