From left, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities Vladimír Špidla, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Latvian President Valdis Zatlers partake in a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony to make the opening of the EU Gender Institute in Vilnius.

VILNIUS — The European Union Gender Institute officially opened in Vilnius Wednesday, although it is not yet fully staffed.

The EU government agency will collect and analyze information on gender issues from across Europe to use in determining policy. This is the first EU agency to be located in Lithuania and only the second to be opened in the formerly communist member states. Vilnius was chosen to host the institute in 2006.

“I am happy that Lithuania too is finally home to one of the European institutions. The European Institute for Gender Equality is important for Lithuania because this means that our state will take the lead in the area of gender equality and will have the possibility to call together professionals from Europe and from all over the world and to make proposals to Europe from Vilnius, proposals that will help consolidate democratic values and protect human rights,” President Dalia Grybauskaitė said in the opening address. The opening ceremony was attended by European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities Vladimír Špidla and Latvian President Valdis Zatlers.

The institute will employ 30 people from all over Europe, and recruiting should be completed in early 2010. The agency has been assigned a budget of €52.5 million to last until 2013.