Brussels, 25/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Economic and Social Committee (ESC) is meeting in plenary session in Brussels on 26 and 27 January, under the chairmanship of Beatrice Rangoni-Machiavelli. There will be two speakers of note: firsrtly, Portugal's State Secretary for European Affairs, Francisco Seixas da Costa, who, on at 15.30 hrs. on Wednesday, will present the Portuguese Presidency's working programme. The next day, at 10.30, Mrs. Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President of the European Commission, will turn to the "situation and prospects in anticipation of the forthcoming IGC".
The Committee will, moreover, be voting on several Commission legislative proposals or communications relating to, notably, legal areas (insolvency procedures), air transport, veterinary medicines, agriculture (milk market), equal opportunities (EQUAL initiative), taxation (common tax system on added value; money laundering), fisheries (protection of juvenile marine organisms), and social (coordinating social security systems).
It will also adopt a own-initiative opinion relating to "pluralism and concentrattion in the media" (Rapporteur, Mr. Decaillon, French, Group II), an opinion on "tourism for employment" and an information report on the "economic and social situation and role of socio-professional organisations in Cyprus".