Brussels, 07/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - Confrontations, the association for "participative democracy" presided by MEP Philippe Herzog (United Left, France), is organising for 30 May, at the European Parliament in Brussels, two round tables on the theme of where the economic Union stands in reform of the European Union.
A first round table, from 14h00, will cover the "aims of the Convention", with speeches by Pier Virgilio Dastoli, President of the Forum of Civil Society; Jean Gandois, Vice-President of the Suez management board; David O'Sullivan, Secretary General of the European Commission; Anne-Marie Sigmund, President of the Group of Various Interests at the Economic and Social Committee; and Bruno Trentin, MEP (Democratici di sinistra, Italy).
From 16h00, a second round table on "Economic, Monetary and Social Union" will bring together Jean-Louis Beffa, Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain; Pierre Defraigne, Chef de Cabinet of European Commissioner Pascal Lamy; Emilio Gabaglio, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation; Alain Lamassoure, MEP (UDF, France) and Convention Member; and Christa Randzio-Plath, President of the economic and monetary committee at the European Parliament (Social Democrat, Germany). Participants at this second round table will mainly raise the following issues: - What constitutional framework is needed to give the Union the economic policy ability that it needs today? - Should the status of competition policy be changed, and how, to make general interest rules and missions prevail? - How should the organisation of concrete solidarity be conceived and with what means? - How can democratic conditions be established so that the Union has a macro-economic policy based on redirected coordination of national policies? (Confrontations. In Paris. Tel.: 33-1-49 88 11 94. Fax: 49 88 11 84. In Brussels: Tel.: 32-2-284 7123. Fax: 284 9123).