Brussels, 25/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - The 18th CEEP (European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest) Congress on the role of public services in the EU 2020 strategy will take place in Madrid on 31 May and 1 June. CEEP President Carl Cederschiöld will open the Congress, which will be attended inter alia by Philippe de Buck, Director General of BusinessEurope, John Monks, Secretary General of the European Trade Union Congress (ETUC), Peter Simon, Deputy Chairman of the European Parliament intergroup on public services, Johannes Laitenberger, Head of the Private Office of Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Bernadette Vergnaud, Deputy Chairwoman of the EP internal market and consumer protection committee, and Elisabeth Schroedter, Deputy Chairwoman of the EP employment and social affairs committee.
The Congress will be divided into three sessions: (1) “The empirical basis for the central role of Services of General Interest”, (2) “Lessons from the economic crisis: Public services a social and physical infrastructure of citizens' welfare and private businesses' future strength”, and (3) “Looking forward: Employment and good governance in the competitive eco-efficient society of tomorrow”. For further information, go to http://www.ceep.eu (G.B./transl.rt)