Brussels, 13/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The future of regional policy will be on the agenda of the 37th plenary session of the Committee of the Regions, which will take place on 14 and 15 February in Brussels. The opinion of Karl-Heinz Klar (D/ESP) on "the European regional policy in the context of enlargement and globalisation" should be adopted on Thursday morning, after the members of the Committee have debated it with the Commissioner responsible for Regional Policy, Michel Barnier, who will have come to present the second European Commission report on economic and social cohesion (see EUROPE of 1 February, page 9 and 10 and 2 February, p.8).
The other main theme of this session will be the environment, the Committee should adopt opinions on: The draft Directive on electrical and electronic equipment waste, and the limitation on the use of certain dangerous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (rapporteur Tony McKenna, IRL/AE); the draft Directive on the assessment and management of ambient noise (Francois Roelants du Vivier, B/ELDR); the draft Directive on public access to environmental information (Margaret Eaton, UK/EPP); the Commission Communication on the integrated coastal zone management (Annette McNamara, IRL/AE).
The Committee will also rule on: The draft Directive on Community measures in the fight against classical swine fever (Hans Eveslage, D/EPP); the importance of public credit institutions for the balanced development of Europe's regions, cities and localities (Reinhold Bocklet, D/EPP).