Brussels, 30/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - This Thursday 31 May, Commissioner Michel Barnier will make a declaration on the future of the EU, notably from the viewpoint of civil society, before the plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (ESC), whose works began on Wednesday afternoon in Brussels under the Presidency of Goke Frerichs. Below is the agenda:
The Committee is called upon to adopt six own initiative opinions on: 1) BEGP for 2001 (rapporteur: John Simpson, various activities, UK); 2) preparation of an EU strategy in terms of sustainable development (rapporteur: Ernst Erik Ehmark, workers, Sweden; co-rapporteur: Lutz Ribbe, various activities, Germany); 3) 21st annual report on structural funds 1999 (Umberto Burani, employers, Italy); 4) regions in the new economy: guidelines for innovative actions for ERDF 2000-2006 (Gianni Vinay, workers, Italy); 5) enhancing of partnership and transatlantic dialogue (Ernst Erik Ehnmark); 6) situation and protection of nature in Europe (Lutz Ribbe).
The Committee must also rules over legislative proposal or Communications from the Commission, namely: - public service contracts in passenger transport by rail, road and waterway (rapporteur: Garcia Alonso, employers, Spain; co-rapporteur: von Schwerin, workers, Germany); 6th environmental action programme 2001-2010 (Braghin, employers, Italy); cooperate to manage the dynamic - 2001 updating of internal market strategy (Franz, employers, Germany); European air safety agency (von Scherin); - Erika II maritime safety (rapporteur: Retureau, workers, France; co-rapporteur: Bredima Savapoulou, employers, Greece); - railway transport statistics (Donelly, employers, Italy); - public participation in drafting of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment (Braghin); - extension of aid scheme and quality strategy for olive oil (Barato Triguero, diverse activities, Spain); - modification of Directive 91/630/EC setting out minimum standards relating to protection of pigs (Nilsson, diverse activities, Sweden); - modification of regulation EC Nº2549/2000 instituting additional technical measures aiming to reconstitute cod stocks in the Irish Sea (Scully, diverse activities, Ireland); - prevention of criminality in EU/Hippokrates (Brunel, diverse activities, France); - quality and safety standards for collecting and storage of human blood (Ribeiro, diverse activities, Portugal); - protection of full-time workers in case of bankruptcy by employer (Zohrer, workers, Austria); - inter-mediation in insurance (Konitzer, workers Germany); - formalities applicable to ships on entry and when leaving ports (Kroger, employers, Germany); - sciences, society and citizens in Europe (Wolff, diverse activities, Germany); - ISPA pre-accession structural instrument (Walker, employers, UK).
The Committee will also rule on: - counterfeiting/SMO (Malosse, employers, France); - application of EC Regulation Nº2200/96 covering common market organisations in the sector of fruit and vegetables (de las Heras Cabanas, diverse activities, Spain); - assessment of distribution and sales and after sales services for automotive vehicles (Regaldo, employers, Italy); - an information report "mastering globalisation - a necessity for the weakest" (Baez Sanjuan, workers, Spain); - Green Paper on security of energy supply of EU (Sirkkeinen, employers, Finland).