Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite to Address First Post-Enlargement Plenary Session of the Eesc

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European Economic and Social Committee

COMMISSIONER DALIA GRYBAUSKAITE TO ADDRESS FIRST POST-ENLARGEMENT PLENARY SESSION OF THE EESC

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is due to hold its first post enlargement plenary session on 2-3 June.

The 95 new members from the ten new member states will be joining the 222 established members of the Committee during the session.

As a result of the Committee's imminent move to its new headquarters at Rue Belliard 99, and as will be the case in the future, the June plenary session will be taking place in room P3C 5O within the European Parliament's Paul Henri Spaak Building.

EESC President Roger Briesch will open and chair the plenary session. Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania) will address the plenary session on 2 June at 16:45.

For aA full list of the Committee's new members is available from the EESC press office.

visit the EESC website or click here

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Key Opinions due for adoption

Regional integration and sustainable development (Own-initiative opinion)

Rapporteur: Mr Dimitros Dimitriatdis Group I, Employers, Greece

Sustainable development is, and must be treated as an overarching and not complementary dimension of regional integration. The goals set for the EU's efforts in this direction may bring substantial results. By way of regional cooperation programmes, the EU not only helps the developing countries and less-developed countries but also conveys cultural, political and social messages.

Action plan for environmental technologiesPlan d'action technologies environnementales

Rapporteur: Mr Stéphane Buffetaut (Group I, Employers, France)

"a realistic and practical approach"

The Commission has adopted an action plan to improve the development and wider use of environmental technologies. The EESC recognised the importance of the commission's action in drawing up the environmental technologies action plan, which has given rise to wide-ranging consultations. The EESC considers that the practical development of environmental technologies inevitably means making choices, establishing a hierarchy for these choices and drawing up a classification for funding, which is limited and must be used wisely. A realistic and practical approach is required.

The EESC would also emphasise the importance of a system for validating the effectiveness of environmental technologies and the dissemination of the data available on such technologies.

Click here for further information on the EESC's work in the field of sustainable development.

Transatlantic Dialogue – How to improve the transatlantic relationship (Own-initiative Opinion)

Rapporteur: Mrs Eva Belabed Group II, Employees, Austria

In line with the Irish Presidency, the EESC strongly supports transatlantic cooperation and the constructive involvement of relevant communities of interest from American and European Civil Society. The EESC therefore advocates strengthening and broadening civil society networks including the Dialogues and is ready to contribute to increased information and interaction between these networks and dialogues, which could lead to regular and continuous cooperation and to establishing a Transatlantic and or US Economic and Social Committee.

The EESC offers to serve as a forum for promoting the dialogue and bringing together the relevant parties.

The EESC notes that while differences are more distinct in foreign policy issuesn there is more common ground that one would expect on economic, social and environmental issues and there is widespread consensus that continuous and intense dialogue is necessary not only in the long-term interests of the EU and the US, but also for the rest of the world.

Conditions for access/gas transmission networks (energy package)

Rapporteur: Mrs Ulla Sirkeinen (Groupe I, Employers, Finland)

The Committee welcomes the Commission proposal on the conditions for access to gas transmission networks, and makes several comments on the contents of the draft Regulation. The Committee supports a wide scope of coverage in order to complete a stable effective and harmonised regulartory framework for the internal gas market. The Commission proposal should also, as soon as possible, be extended to cover storage facilities, based on an agreement at the Madrid Forum as these form an integral and important part of gaz infrastructure.

Finally the Committee stresses the importance of ensuring that the Regulation provides for the involvement of stakeholders (transmission system operators and network users) in the proposed comitology procedure and that the Commission take the view of all stakeholders into account when monitoring the implementation of the Regulation.

Amendment/charging of heavy goods vehicles

Rapporteur: Mr Jan Simons (Group I, Employers, Netherlands)

The Committee values the Commission's initiative but considers it too ambitious. With a single proposal for amendment of Directive 1999/62/EC, the Commission is attempting to solve too many different problems.

The Committee has stated in the past that the "use pays" principle could only be implemented if there were a thorough analysis of the relative value of the different cost component and a level playing field for all modes of transport.

The Committee also notes that the current mosaic of national rules and systems makes it impossible to achieve a harmonised method of charging for infrastructure use.

The Committee feels that the provision in the Commission proposal for using the revenue from an increase in tolls to finance the investment costs of other transport infrastructure of a high European interest in the same corridor should be used as sparingly as possible and that no transport infrastructure should be excluded.

Finally the Committee is critical of the inclusion of costs arising from congestion and road accidents and environmental costs, as they are to a great extent caused by private cars, a category of vehicle excluded from the scope of the Directive.

European Refugees Fund

Rapporteur: Mrs Giacomina Cassina (Groupe II, Employees, Italy)

The EESC considers that the proposal for a European Refugee Fund for the period 2005-2010 is justified, is equipped with significant resources and is organised in such a way as to facilitate the joint responsibility of the Member States and the Community. It also stresses that reception and integration must continue to be seen as the cornerstone of a sound asylum policy.

The EESC underlines the need to define common criteria for compiling data on refugees, in part in order to ensure a fair balance between actions undertaken in different countries and comparability between them, and urges that Community actions focus primarily on enhancing and sustaining the administrative and managerial capabilities of the new Member States.

For more details, please contact :

Vasco de Oliveira or Tristan Macdonald, at the EESC Press Office.

Rue Ravenstein 2, B-1000; Bruxelles

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

e-mail :

Website: