Brussels, 19/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Economic and Social Committee will be meeting on 20-21 March in Brussels, under the Presidency of Göke Frerichs. Two European Commissioners will be speaking on Wednesday afternoon: Pedro Solbes Mira, who will be speaking about the current economic situation and the main economic policy guidelines, and Loyola de Palacio, who will be addressing the issue of transport and energy policy in 2002. The Committee will then discuss the different own-initiative opinions on granting Small and Medium Sized Enterprises access to a European Company Statute, the future of the Common Agricultural Policy and immigration. The full agenda is as follows:
The Committee has been requested to adopt seven own-initiative opinions on: 1) Palliative care - an example of voluntary service activity in Europe (Ms zu Eulenburg, Various Interests Group, Germany); 2) The contribution of the Committee on the Main Economic Policy Guidelines for Member States and the Community in 2002 (Ms Konitzer, Workers Group, Germany); 3) The future of CAP (rapporteur: Mr Ribbe, Various Interests Group, Germany; co-rapporteur: Mr Geraads, Employers Groups, Netherlands); 4) The access of SMEs to a European Company Statute (Mr Malosse, Employers Group, France); 5) Immigration, social integration and the role of organised civil society (rapporteur: Mr Pariza Castanos, Workers Group, Spanish; co-rapporteur: Mr Melicias, Various Interests Group, Portugal); 6) Fiscal competition and its impact on company competitiveness (Mr Morgan, Employers Group, United Kingdom); 7) Strategic Partnership EU-Russia: What are the next steps? (Mr Hamro Drotz, Employers Group, Finland). The Committee will also adopt additional own-initiative opinions on the economic policies of the Euro-zone countries: convergences and divergences, results and lessons to be drawn (Mr Nyberg, workers Group, Sweden).
The Committee will also give its opinion on the legislative proposals and Commission communication: 1) Green Paper on consumer protection in the EU (Ms Davidson, Various Interests Group, United Kingdom); 2) Measurement of carbon dioxide emissions and motor fuel consumption (Mr Colombo, Workers Group Italy); 3) Common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports (Mr Tosh, Employers Group, United Kingdom); 4) General rules for granting Community financial aid in the field of trans-European networks (Mr Kleemann, Employers Group, Austria); 5) Rules and procedures with regard to the introduction of noise-related restrictions at Community airports (Mr Green, Employers Group, Austria); 6) Community statistical programme 2003-2007 (Ms Florio, Workers Group, Italy); 7) Right of EU citizens to reside and move in the territory of Member States (Mr Rodriguez Garcia Caro, Employers Group, Spain); 8) Criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member Sate responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-party country national (Mr Sharma, Various Interests Group, United Kingdom); 9) Green Paper on Compensation to crime victims (Mr Melicias, Various Interests Group, Portugal); 10) Green Paper Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (Ms Hornung-Draus, Employers Group, Germany; Ms Engelen-Kiefer, Workers Group, Germany and Mr Hoffelt, Various Interests Group, Belgium); 11) White Paper on European Governance (Ms Engelen-Kiefer, Various Interest Group, Germany) and Ms Pari, Employers Group, Greece); 12) GMOs/traceablity and labelling of food and feed products (Mr Espuny Moyano, Employers Group, Spain); 13) Guidelines for the development of a trans-European transport network (Mr Kleeman, Employers Group, Austria).