Brussels, 18/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Economic and Social Committee (ESC) will be meeting in Brussels on 20/21 February, chaired by Göke Frerichs, with a heavyweight guest speaker, one of the Vice-Chairs to the Convention on the future of Europe, Jean-Luc Dehaene, who will address the ESC on the subject of the Convention on Wednesday. A debate will also be organised on Wednesday on the ESC's role after-Laeken.
There is less on the agenda than normal for this second session of 2002. The ESC will be giving its opinion of various Commission legislative proposals and Communications: 1) rules governing the participation of companies, research centres and universities in the research framework programme for 2000-2006, and how the results are published (Mr Malosse, Employers' Group, France); 2) approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States on protection of animals used for experiments and other scientific purposes (Mr Jaschick, Various Interests Group, Germany); financing and marketing improvement plans for certain nuts and carob beans (Mr de las Heras Cabanas, Various Interests Group, Spain); Green Paper on Corporate Social Responsibility (rapporteur: Ms Hornung-Draus, Employers' Group, Germany; co-rapporteurs Ms Enegelen-Kefer, Workers' Group, Germany, and Mr Hoffelt, Various Interests Group, Belgium); 5) e-EUROPE 2001: accessibility of websites (Mr Cabra de Luna, Various Interests Group, Spain); 6) leaf tobacco premiums and guarantee thresholds (Mr Liolios, Various Interests Group, Greece); 7) monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents (Ms Davison, Various Interests Group, UK); 8) Strategic vision of life sciences and biotechnology (Mr Bedossa, Various Interests Group, France); 9) Asbestos-related risks at work (Mr Etty, Workers' Group, the Netherlands).
The ESC will adopt an own initiative report on regulations between the European Union and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (Mr Gafo Fernandez, Employers' Group, Spain) and an Additional Own-Initiative Report on the Strategy on Sustainable Development (Mr Cabra de Luna, Various Interests' Group, Spain).