Brussels, 29/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - During its latest plenary session in 2003, which was held on 10/11 December under the chairmanship of Roger Briesch and attended by Commissioner Michel Barnier (see EUROPE of 11 December, p.18), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) voted by 116 to 37 (with seven abstentions) in favour of adopting a resolution on the Lisbon strategy. The European Commission's Vice-President, Loyola de Palacio, sent a letter to urge the EESC, in keeping with article 262 of the EC Treaty, to prepare an opinion aimed at "highlighting the overall impact the Lisbon Strategy has made hitherto, including a long-term outlook, and providing a qualitative and numerical assessment of the changes for the better made in implementing the strategy". Towards this end, the EESC staged a conference in order to find out what the members of Europe's civil society had to say about the progress made and what remained to be done (see Europe of 14 October, p.16). Mission accomplished.
The EESC resolution stresses that the Lisbon Strategy will not achieve its objectives of international competitiveness, economic, social and environmental progress and sustainable development without a comprehensive review of the method, the institutional and political arrangements and the cooperation instruments tasked with their delivery. The Committee recommends: 1) a macroeconomic policy conducive to the achievement of this strategy based on better coordination between the Member States and the Community institutions; 2) more effective consultations between the EU institutions, the Member States, the business community and both sides of business; 3) better division of responsibility in implementing the reforms between, on the one hand, the European, national and regional level and, on the other, the public, private and associative sector.
More specifically, the Committee recommends various measures to be taken at European level: - improving the European institutions' consultation of socio-occupational interest groups and the social partners, in order to develop a permanent European dialogue on the Lisbon strategy's various joint guidelines and action plans, and ensuring better consideration and reconciliation of the imperatives of economic competitiveness, social progress, and sustainable development; - actively involving the social partners in the implementation of the multiannual social dialogue programme they agreed, with a view to their drawing up European agreements in fields relevant to the Lisbon strategy; - highlighting this socio-occupational dialogue and the contribution of the European social partners in the European Commission's annual report to the Spring summit.
The EESC also adopted all the opinions that were on its agenda, including those on:
1) The Commission's Green Paper on services of general interest (rapporteur: Bernardo Hernandez Bataller, Various Interests Group, Spain; co-rapporteur: Raymond Henks, Employees' Group, Luxembourg). The EESC has asked the Commission to table a draft framework Directive on services of general interest ;
2) taxation in the EU (rapporteur: Lars Nyberg, Employees' Group, Sweden). The EESC seeks a harmonisation of taxation rules and the use of qualified majority voting in this area;
3) immigration, integration and employment (rapporteur: Pariza Castanos (Employees' Group, Spain). The EESC stresses the need for integration to be to the fore in EU immigration policy;
4) European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (rapporteur: Sukhdev Sharma, Various Interests Group, United Kingdom). The Committee believes the Monitoring Service should play a more effective role in preparing policy-making recommendation for the institutions of the EU and the Member States;
5) the EU's new European neighbours (rapporteur Karin Alleweldt, Employees' Group, Germany). The EESC recommends: - defining a proactive strategy to help Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, and, in particular, adopting measures to lend support to civil society; - promoting structural dialogues, based on work accomplished with the partner associations of the new Member States;
6) the status of EESC members. This final text sets forth the EESC's rights, duties and responsibilities (see EUROPE of 8 November, p.16, for further details).