Brussels, 16/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Executive Bureau European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI) is to meet on Wednesday 17 September in Brussels under the chairmanship of Valerio Salvatore, CESI President, and its General Secretary Helmut Müllers. The Bureau is expected to adopt a series of opinions which will then be forwarded to the Commission and the EP on the following issues: draft Constitution for Europe, Green Paper on services of general interest, strengthening of the social dimension of Lisbon, revision of the directive on equal opportunities, enhanced participation by the young in democratic and social activities, and information and communication technologies for education.
In particular, in its opinion on the results of the European Convention, CESI describes the draft Constitution as a "success for European unity". It deplores the fact that the policy relating to combating discrimination had not been submitted to qualified majority vote. It is still of the opinion that services of general interest should not be defined at European level. CESI is also said to have appreciated the fact that the Convention takes a stance more clearly in favour of a social market economy and rejects the idea that social policy and employment are unilaterally geared to economic policy. In its opinion on equal opportunities (a public hearing was held at the EP on this, see EUROPE of 13 September p.13), CESI takes a stance in favour of a new directive in the field of equal opportunities between men and women which would replace the old rules and would mention equal rights in social security, the protection of victims and the right to file a class action complaint in the case of violation of the directive. Information: opinions may be downloaded from http://www.cesi.org.