Brussels, 04/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will be holding its plenary session on 13-14 July under the presidency of Anne-Marie Sigmund. It will be attended by the British minister for European affairs, Douglas Alexander, and the Commissioner for education policy and culture, Jan Figel.
At the plenary the EESC president hopes to examine the failure of the European summit on negotiations on financial perspectives for 2007-13 and the rejection of the European Constitution by the French and Dutch. Ms Sigmund will be talking to advisors about what the Committee and organised civil society should do to get out of this crisis. She will also be discussing how the Committee can fully play its role as a bridge between Europe and organised civil society. In a declaration that has just been published, Sigmund underlines the EESC's wish for “the spirit of participatory democracy be preserved” She points out that “Article 47, if implemented, would oblige all of the EU institutions to maintain an 'open, transparent and regular dialogue' with organised civil society” and that “the EESC is ready, willing and able to enhance the dialogue with organised civil society”.
The Committee is also expected to give its opinion on three own initiative reports on: 1) the scope and effects of company relocations (rapporteur José Rodriguez Garcia-Caro, director of the delegation of the Spanish Employers Confederation (CEOE) to the EU); 2) research prospects for steel and coal (Göran Lagerholm, director for European affaires at the Swedish Economic Federation SN); 3) relations between the EU and Russia: what contribution from civil society? (Filip Hamro-Drotz, European affairs advisor to the OCDE at the Industry and Employers Confederation (TT) Finland. Other subjects on the session agenda include: legislation on REACH (chemical products), access to the port services market, the new social agenda 2006-2010, and ultra remote regions.