European Economic and Social Committee
PRESS RELEASE No 45/2008
23 May 2008
445th plenary session of the EESC
28, 29 and 30 May 2008
At the European Parliament,
Paul-Henri Spaak Building,
at 2.30 p.m.
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CELEBRATION OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE EESC
COMMEMORATIVE SESSION
Statements by Mr H.-G. Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, Mr J. M. Barroso,
President of the European Commission, Mr L. Van den Brande, President of the Committee of
the Regions, and former EESC Presidents: Mr T. Jenkins, Mr G. Frerichs and Mr R. Briesch
Wednesday 28 May 2008 – 2 p.m. – 4.30 p.m.
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PRESS CONFERENCE
With Mr D. Dimitriadis, EESC President, Mr H.-G. Pöttering, President of the European
Parliament, Mr J. Delors, former President of the European Commission, Mr P. Cox, former
President of the European Parliament, and also Mr Rogard, director for France of the
"Dailymotion" website, Ms N. Mouskouri, former Member of the European Parliament and UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador, Mr E. De Luca, Italian writer and winner of the Femina foreign book prize,
Ms S. Justesen, founder of "Innoversity" and Ms K. Hindriks, winner of the Young European
Entrepreneur of the Year prize in 2008
Wednesday 28 May 2008 –4 p.m.
Press room, European Parliament, P0A050
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MAJOR DEBATE attended by key players
The Future and Intercultural Dialogue
Wednesday 28 May 2008 – 5–7.30 p.m.
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For more information regarding the EESC 50th anniversary and the detailed programme
of events, please consult : http://www.eesc.europa.eu/eesc-50/index_en.asp?id=100150en.
EN
European Economic and Social Committee
Main opinions to be adopted:
 Eco-friendly production
 International public procurement (exploratory opinion)
 The challenge of water scarcity in the European Union
 Towards a new culture for urban mobility
 Advantages and benefits of the euro
 Better promoting the mobility of young people in Europe: practicalities and
timetable (exploratory opinion)
 Posting of workers
 EU-Serbia relations: the role of civil society
Eco-friendly production
Rapporter: Ms Darmanin (Group II, Employees, Malta)
The Committee is in favour of developing a Community policy of sustainable consumption and
production, with a view to: converting potential challenges into opportunities for EU industry to be
competitive on the world market, developing a "green market", raising the European public's
awareness of responsible and more "eco-intelligent" consumption, ensuring consumer choice is
protected and producers/distributors are committed to meeting environmental standards, and
ensuring that responsibilities for sustainable consumption policy, in terms of decision-making and
implementation, are shared among all the stakeholders and civil society. Moreover, the EESC
proposes creating a single, well-defined framework in the form of a "European charter for
sustainable consumption and production in the internal market".
International public procurement (exploratory opinion)
Rapporteur: Mr Malosse (Group I, Employers, France)
The EESC urges the European Commission to pursue its goals of further opening public
procurement and to ensure that the principles of transparency, equal treatment, and social and
ecological responsibility are respected. At EU level, the EESC is in favour of more transparency and
modern methods of procurement and notification of tenders. The EESC is against the introduction
in the EU of a quota system for SMEs like that applied under the US Small Business Act, but in
favour of a "roadmap" for European SMEs, setting out a series of specific and binding provisions
and accompanied by a timetable and a funding plan.
The challenge of water scarcity in the European Union
Rapporteur: Mr Buffetaut (Group I, Employers, France)
The EESC points out that pricing policies can prove ineffective if a major part of water abstraction
is not metered or registered. The EESC recommends the creation of a European website dedicated
to river basin plans, where local authorities would be able to find specific examples which they
could use to draw up their own plans and to improve the information they provide. In order to
improve drought risk management, it calls on the EU to encourage the interoperability of means of
European Economic and Social Committee
preventing and fighting fires within the framework of the European Mechanism for Civil Protection.
In discussions on supply infrastructure, the EESC recommends that the possibility of using
underground water storage and re-injection of groundwater be explored. To promote rational water
use, it recommends the introduction of smart metering and bespoke billing.
Towards a new culture for urban mobility
Rapporteur: Mr H Hernández Bataller (Group III, Various interests, Spain)
Co-rapporteur: Mr Barbadillo López (Group I, Employers, Spain)
The EESC considers that urban mobility policy should prioritise in particular urban planning, the
information society and information technologies, especially involving the creation of public areas
for pedestrians and cyclists. The EESC offers its support to the Commission and hopes that it will
boost Community measures for mobility, in particular to prioritise public transport while promoting
cycling and walking. The EESC endorses the use of "green purchases" for procurement relating to
infrastructure funded by European programmes, and calls for the removal of existing obstacles.
Posting of workers
Rapporteur: Ms Le Nouail-Marlière (Group II, Employees, France)
The EESC supports the Commission's initiatives, but expresses concern that they are too one-sided
in their approach, focusing primarily on the removal of the restrictions or obstacles
that
supposedly exist for companies posting their workers to other countries. However, given the
recognised shortcomings in the monitoring of working conditions, in cross-border administrative
cooperation and in the enforcement of fines, the Committee feels that the same degree of
importance should also be attached to enforcing employees' protected rights under the directive
regulating the posting of workers. In particular, it has misgivings about the abolition of the
obligation to keep social registers in the Member State in which the service is being provided.
Advantages and benefits of the euro
Rapporteur: Mr Burani (Group I, Employers, Italy)
In this opinion, the Committee makes a number of recommendations on the euro communication
strategy as part of a long-term, broad-based policy. The Eurobarometer survey reveals that not
always, in all countries, has the euro been enough of a success with the people. The Committee is
strongly convinced that a main priority for ensuring greater acceptance of the euro would therefore
be economic and social policies in the EU to support employment and incomes, while providing
appropriate social protection systems. This would enable citizens to gain a more tangible
appreciation of the European project and consequently to accept the euro.
For the EESC opinion on Better promoting the mobility of young people in Europe:
practicalities and timetable (exploratory opinion) see the separate press release at:
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/activities/press/cp/index_en.asp.
European Economic and Social Committee
EU-Serbia relations: the role of civil society
Rapporteur: Mr Kallio (Group III, Various interests, Finland)
The EESC's draft opinion calls on the Serbian authorities the pass the law on civil society
associations as soon as possible. It also recommends that they support the maintenance of a
regular tripartite social dialogue and ensure the proper functioning of the Serbian Economic and
Social Council. It urges the European Commission to support the government in the elaboration of
a strategy for the development of civil society, and to increase support, also in financial terms, to
civil society organisations in Serbia. It calls on the latter to establish an institutionalised platform
for regular meetings and exchange of ideas. Lastly, the Committee considers that a joint
consultative committee (JCC) could be set up between the EESC and Serbian civil society
organisations in order to promote and support civil dialogue in Serbia.
For more details, please contact:
Karel Govaert at the EESC Press Office,
99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 546 9396/9586; Mobile: +32 475 75 32 02
Email: press@eesc.europa.eu
Website: http://www.eesc.europa.eu/
Press Releases:
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/activities/press/cp/index_en.asp (English)
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/activities/press/cp/index_fr.asp (French)
The European Economic and Social Committee represents the various economic and social
components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by the
1957 Treaty of Rome. Its consultative role enables its members, and hence the organisations they
represent, to participate in the Community decision-making process. The Committee has
344 members, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers.