Brussels, 18/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will renew its membership and leadership this week. Meeting in plenary session in Brussels, the EESC is expected to elect Staffan Nilsson (various interests group, Sweden) as its president, with Anna Maria Darmanin (Employees' group, Malta) and Jacek Krawczyk (Employers' group, Poland as its vice-presidents). The 344 members of the EESC are appointed by their national governments for a five-year term of office. The president and two vice-presidents are elected for two and a half years.
The programme for this inaugural session is as follows: Tuesday 19 October - formation of the three interest groups of the EESC (Employers, Employees and Various Interests); - Wednesday 20 October -election of the EESC president and vice-presidents, formation of the Bureau; Thursday 21 October - the elected president will present his programme.
The plenary session as such will begin at 11.00am on Thursday 21 October with some 15 opinions on the agenda. Specific mention should be made of the own initiative reports on (1) renewal of the Community method (guidelines), rapporteur Henri Malosse (Employers' group, France), co-rapporteur Georges Dassis (Employees' group, Greece); (2) financial participation by employees in Europe, rapporteur Alexander Graf Von Schwerin (Employees' group, Germany), co-rapporteur Madi Sharma (Employers' group, UK); (3) the implications of the sovereign debt crisis for EU governance, rapporteur Michael Smyth (Various Interests group, UK); (4) changes and prospects for the metalworking industry, rapporteur José Isaias Rodríguez García-Caro (Employers' group, Spain).
Among the other opinions up for adoption are those on combating trafficking in human beings, rapporteur Ionuþ Sibian (Various Interests group, Romania) and on international climate policy post-Copenhagen, rapporteur Stéphane Buffetaut (Employers' group, France). (G.B./transl.rt)