Brussels, 28/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will focus its programme of activities under the French Presidency of the EU on a key idea - communicating the EU against the backdrop of the French Presidency's desire to ensure see through ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. The EESC will continue to provide contributions on issues of general interest like the revised Lisbon Strategy, climate change and sustainable development, paying particular attention to the advent of a very highly energy efficient society that produces low greenhouse gas emissions. There are a group of priorities that are being highlighted by the French Presidency but are also very close to the heart of the EESC President Dimitris Dimitriadis, whose leitmotif is entrepreneurship with a human face. The EESC will hold a conference in Athens on 8 and 9 September 2008 on this subject, chaired by Dimitriadis and attended by the President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias, the Greek prime minister Konstantinos Karamanlis, the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding, Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner, the President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering, Greece's development minister Christos Folias and the speaker of the Greek parliament, Dimitris Sioufas.
Exploratory opinions. The EESC is expecting the French Presidency to request a number of exploratory opinions, including: (1) an opinion to be submitted to plenary in September 2008 on 'Pour une évolution équilibrée du milieu urbain: défis et opportunités' (the urban environment), which will complete other opinions on metropolitan areas, Euro-regions and territorial cohesion, which may be submitted to various events planned by the French Presidency; (2) an opinion on social experimentation, prepared in close cooperation with the office of the High Commissioner for Active Solidarity and Tackling Poverty, Martin Hirsch, to be submitted to a conference on social experimentation in Grenoble (France) on 28 and 29 November 2008; (3) an opinion entitled 'Quelles modalités pratiques pour mieux promouvoir la mobilité des jeunes en Europe ?' (practical ways of promoting young people's mobility in the EU), prepared in cooperation with the French Presidency, and the subject of an inter-institutional hearing. It will be submitted at a French Presidency conference in Paris on 11 and 12 November 2008; (4) an opinion on an important issue connected with the foreign and trade policy aspects of farm policy, entitled 'Le défi alimentaire mondial' (the global food challenge). A conference will be organised on this issue by the EESC and the French Economic and Social Committee in Paris on 13 November 2008. An opinion was adopted by the July 2008 plenary on 'Comment concilier dimension nationale et dimension européenne dans la communication sur l'Europe' (reconciling the national and EU dimensions in communication about the EU) (following up on the European Commission's April 2008 report on debating European and using the achievements of the Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate).
Foreign Relations. Another important aspect of the EESC's work is foreign relations and Dimitriadis said he wanted to pursue the strengthening of connections between economic and social committees in Europe in the desire of brining the EU closer to the citizens, who have to realise that the EU is more than Brussels, he added, calling for full implementation of the 'communicating Europe' strategy.
EuroMed. The EESC will pay particular attention to relations with southern partner countries. In this connection, the EESC will be organising an annual summit of economic and social councils and similar bodies in partnership with the Moroccan authorities and representatives of Moroccan business and social milieus in Morocco on 16 and 17 October 2008, with the involvement of the French Presidency of the EU. The main subject of discussion will be the social dimension of relations between the EU and its southern partner countries. The EESC will submit conclusions from the summit to the EuroMed ministerial conference in Marseilles on 3-4 November 2008.
Enlargement. In connection with enlargement, the EESC will organise a meeting of the EU-Turkey joint advisory committee in Paris on 20 and 21 November 2008. The French Presidency has been invited to attend. The committee will discuss trade union rights, consumer policies, health and access to funding for SMEs.
Ukraine. Vis-a-vis the EESC's relations with its Eastern neighbours, the EESC will hold a joint meeting with Ukraine's national tripartite economic and social council to define a common approach to the ongoing negotiations between the EU and the Ukraine and enable organised civil society to play a role in the future partnership agreement.
Black Sea. A joint EESC/International Labour Organisation conference will be held in Brussels on 24 and 25 November 2008 on the role of civil society organisations in countries around the Black Sea.
Upon the initiation of its President, Dimitris Dimitriadis, the EESC will continue with its commitment to communication during the French Presidency of the EU, paying particular attention to globalisation and the challenges posed by growth and employment, climate change and energy. It will focus on foreign relations and intercultural dialogue, will help boost communication partnership with the other EU bodies, will play an active role in communication on the new Reform Treat (the Lisbon Treaty) and will continue to seek solutions to fill the gap between the EU and organised civil society.
Full details of the EESC's work programme under the French Presidency of the EU can be found in a 33-page brochure entitled 'The EESC's priorities during the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union - Communicating Europe (July - December 2008)', published in English, French and German and available on the EESC website http://www.eesceuropa.eu .
Further info: EESC, Visits and Publications Unit, rue Belliard 99, B-1040 Brussels. Tel: +32 2 546 96 04. Fax: + 32 2 546 97 64. (G. B. transl fl)