44Th Meeting of the Eesc's External Relations Section

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European Economic and Social Committee

PRESS RELEASE No. 89/2003 Brussels, 11 December 2003

44TH MEETING OF THE EESC'S EXTERNAL RELATIONS SECTION

ENLARGEMENT PREPARATIONS; THE SOUTH AMERICAN LABOUR MARKET

Progress on enlargement (presentation by the Commission);

Opinion entitled "Repercussions of the Americas' Free Trade Area Agreement on EU Relations with Latin America and the Carribbean (Rapporteur: Mr Soares)

Presentation of the Report entitled, "Good Jobs Wanted: the Labour Market in Latin America" a report by the Inter-American Development Bank

Three key items on the agenda for the forthcoming EESC External Relations Section meeting that its President, Mrs Ann Davison, will chair on 15 December at the Committee's headquarters.

How will EU relations with Latin America and Caribbean be affected by the Americas' Free Trade Agreement ?

Representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament and European civil society will be in attendance. José Maria Zufiaur Narvaiza, the EESC's South American follow-up Committee President, will moderate the debates on the "Repercussions of the Americas' Free Trade Area Agreement on EU Relations with Latin America and the Caribbean"", presented by rapporteur M. Soares (Opinion to be adopted at the January 2004 plenary session).

Presentation by Mrs Pagès and Mr Lora of the reported entitled: "Good Jobs wanted: the Labour Market in Latin America".

Key findings from the report:

"Technology, productivity and education are key to strengthening South America’s under performing labour markets, which for over a decade have been characterized by high unemployment and low wages".

Does modern technology destroy jobs? “It is often stated that modern technology reduces the demand for workers, particularly those with low levels of education, but the experience of South America suggests that that this is not the case.”

Note to editors:

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is the main source of multilateral financing for economic, social and institutional development and regional integration in South America and the Caribbean. It has 46 member countries: 26 borrowing countries in South America, and 20 non-borrowing countries (16 European countries, the United States, Canada, Israel and Japan). Voting power on the institution’s governing bodies is proportional to their subscription to the Bank’s Ordinary Capital, in which South American and Caribbean countries have slightly over 50 percent. The Bank’s Ordinary Capital totals $101 billion.

For more details, please contact:

Vasco de Oliveira or Tristan Macdonaldat the EESC Press Office.

Rue Ravenstein, 2, Brussels, B-1000

Tel: 02 546 9396/9586; Mobile: 0475 753 202;

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The European Economic and Social Committee represents the various economic and social components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Its consultative role enables its members, and hence the organisations they represent, to participate in the Community decision-making process. The Committee has 222 members. Its members are appointed by the Council of Ministers.