Brussels, 09/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising, on 30 and 31 January in Brussels, a seminar on the theme "Organised Civil Society in the candidate countries and the future of Europe". It will be opened by EESC President Roger Briesch, and addressed by Jean-Luc Dehaene, Vice-Chairman of the European Convention; Günter Verheugen, European Enlargement Commissioner; and Elmar Brok, Chair of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs and Member of the European Convention. Henri Malosse, EESC member (Employers, France) will present a summary of the contributions to the debate on the future of Europe by Joint Consultative Committees (JCC) and civil society organisations of candidate countries. Then, three round tables will be held: 1) What kind of Europe do we want? The European model of society; 2) Economic and social governance in an enlarged Europe; and 3) Participatory democracy and the role of the EESC. Alojz Peterle, representing the Slovenian parliament and Member of the Praesidium of the European Convention, will speak at the closing plenary sitting.
Work will pursue a triple objective: 1) providing candidate country civil society organisations with a structured channel for expressing and promoting their views on the future of Europe; 2) giving practical expression to the Convention's expectations with regards the involvement of civil society from the candidate countries in the debate on the future of Europe; and 3) demonstrating the added value of the Committee's action with regard to the work of the Convention and giving it a high profile.
Besides the representatives of organised civil society in the candidate countries, the seminar will be attended by representatives of the governments and national parliaments of these countries within the European Convention. (Information: Patrick Fève, EESC Brussels, Tel.: 02 546 9616. E-mail: patrick.feve@esc.eu.int ).