Brussels, 08/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 8 March, International Women's Day, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Anne-Marie Sigmund, solemnly commemorated the work and the life of Anna Lindh, the Swedish Foreign Minister who was assassinated in 2003. The EESC, which is particularly active in defending women's rights, appeals for women to play a greater role in the decision-making process. On Tuesday, speaking to the EESC Bureau, Anne-Marie Sigmund paid tribute to the memory of this ”exceptional woman” who “showed that it was possible to be both popular and competent, a hard-working woman politician and an excellent mother, a master of detail and an excellent communicator, a frank but also diplomatic person (…). Her memory lives on as an inspiration to us all”.