Brussels, 04/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - “Getting the Europe message across, participatory democracy and relations with the Commission” - this will be the theme of the European Commission Vice-president Margot Wallström's speech to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on Wednesday in Brussels. The Commissioner will raise the issue of development and participatory democracy, particularly in relation to the European Constitution. She will also explain her vision of closer cooperation between the EESC and the Commission, notably through the new protocol for cooperation which is currently being prepared. During this session on 6 - 7 April, under the chairmanship of Anne-Marie Sigmund, advisors will be called on to give their views on a number of opinions, which include sensitive subjects such as regional and cohesion policy funding and the fight against non-declared work.
Future regional policy, according to a press release the EESC will give its opinion on twenty-four key opinions: a) setting up of Europe Group for Cross-border Cooperation (EGCC): rapporteur: Belgian trade unionist Michel Nollet underlined that the importance of the economic and social actors be clearly explained have in the setting up of the EGCC group; b) general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, European Social and Cohesion fund: rapporteur: Henri Malosse (director for European and International Affairs at the French Assembly of Chambers of Commerce and Industry), which criticises the proposal to set a national level for eligibility criteria for structural funds; c) Cohesion Funds: in his recommendation, the Secretary General for the National Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in Portugal Francisco Joao Silva recommends that the Commission acts together with Member States. He also considers that the fund is given more resources to take into account enlargement; d) European Regional Development fund: rapporteur: Vladimir Matousek (Workers Group, Czech Republic), believes that priority should be given to research and technological development, innovation and promoting the spirit of enterprise.
The advisors are also expected to speak on: 1) the fight against non-declared work - the role of organised civil society (Erik Hahr, Employers Group, Sweden): the rapporteur will be highlighting the need to improve incentives for declaring work and is also calling for measures to strengthen the efficiency of inspections and sanctions against moonlighting; 2) EU/India relations (Sukhdev Sharma, Various Interests Group, United Kingdom): the rapporteur has drawn up a balance sheet of the dialogue between civil society in the EU and India and is producing concrete proposals for improving it. The EU/India Round Table could in this way become a model for relations between the EESC and other developing countries and regions in the world; 3) priorities in the single market 2005-2010 (additional to own-initiative- Brian Cassidy, Employers Group, United Kingdom): the Commission is expected to make a “legislative pause”, in order to give Member States enough time to transpose the action plan measures for the financial services into national law and to verify their effectiveness. Mr Cassidy thinks that during this “pause” existing European legislation could be simplified and coherence improve; 4) European industrial districts and the challenge of new knowledge networks (Antonello Pezzini, Employers Group, Italy): the rapporteur will be proposing new instruments for implementing such policy, evaluating existing districts and suggesting possible amendments and innovations. It also looked at the conditions that would allow for the emergence of a genuine European plate-form for new knowledge networks in the EU-25; 5) expanded tourism policy (Juan Mendoza Castro, Workers Group, Spain): the rapporteur is proposing an “education campaign” based on tourism as a strategic industry for Europe, by involving European, national, regional and local institutions and representatives from the social partners. He is also suggesting setting up a data base for good practices in the tourism industry, for facilitating exchanges of experiences; 6) major distribution: trends and consequences for farmers and consumers (Frank Allen, Various Actives Group, Ireland): the rapporteur is calling for more transparency and information on price structures and profit margins between the different actors. (Info: http://www.esc.eu.int ).