EUROPEAN COMMUNIT!ES BULLETIN 9 SOCIALECONOMIC AND COMMITTEE a oIJJ EN THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE FACTS AND FIGURES - November 1996 OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Chair 4. Sub-committees Ic.m"-l 2rrs The decision-making o,*" l- The ESC has the right to set up temporary sub-com- lP.dhhenl I process in the Com- President: Tom JENKINS -lI mittees, for specrfic issues. These sub-committees (United Kingdom - Workers) munity (simplified) tt operate on the same Iines as the sections. ,, ?#ff [''"'l Vrce-presrdents: Giacomo REGALDO | @hhGl\ | / | 5. Plenary session (ltaly - Employers) +/ \t t**i l f k* I t&dm;-l..ti @M;l As a rule, the full Committee meets in plenary ses- Johannes JASCHICK ................*1 .* l*..,*.n Mamh. coud I sron ten times a year. At the plenary sessions, opin- (Germany - Various Interests) "-*, Md + drd6 I ions are adopted on the basis of section opinions by a 1\ /z 34 Secretary-general: AdTianoGRAZIOSI \ fc bm l / simple majority. They are forwarded to the institu- \ co.rn* / trons and published in the Official Journal of the Eu- L Origins "9,f"' ] 'o*"' ropean Communities. The ESC was set up by the 1957 Rome Treaties rn order to involve economic and social interest groups 6. Relations with economic and social councils in the establishment of the common market and to The ESC maintains regular links with regional and The president is responsrble for the orderly conduct provide institutional machinery for briefing the Eu- national economrc and social councils throughout the ropean Commission and the Council of Mimsters on of the Committee's business. He is assisted by the European Union. These links mainly involve ex- European Union issues. vice-presidents, who deputize for him in the event of changes of rnformation and jornt discussrons every hrs absence. year on specific issues. The Single European Act (1986) and the Maastricht Treaty (1992) reinforced the ESC's role. The president represents the ESC in relations with The ESC also liaises world-wrde with other econom- Membership outside bodies. ic and social councils at the "Internatronal Meetings" T\e222 members (193 men, 29 women) ofthe ESC held every two years. are drawn from economrc and socral interest groups Joint briefs: relations with EFTA, CEEC, AMU, rn Europe. Members are nominated by national gov- ACP countries, Latin American and other third coun- 7. Relations with economic and social interest ernments and appointed by the Council of the Euro- tries, and the Citizens' Europe fall within the remrt groups in third countries pean Union for a renewable 4-year term of office. of the ESC bureau and the presrdent. The ESC has links with economic and social interest one three Employers They belong to of Groups: groups in a number of non-member countnes and (Group I - President: Manuel Eug6nro Cavaleiro groups of countries, including Meditenanean coun- Branddo - Portugal), Workers (Group II - President: The bureau's main task rs to organize and coordinate tries, the ACP countnes, Central and Eastern Europe, Roger Briesch - France), Various Interests (Group III the work of the ESC's various bodies and to lay Latin America and EFTA. For this purpose the ESC - President: Beatrice Rangoni Machiavelli - Italy). down policy gurdelines for this work. Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom sets up 15-30 man delegations headed by the presi- have 24 members each, Spain has 21, Belgium, dent. Some meetings involving the countries of cen- 2. Sections Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Austria and Swe- tral and eastern Europe, will be institutionalized den 12, Denmark, Ireland and Frnland 9 and Luxem- under the Europe Agreements. The Commlttee has nine sections: bourg 6. Economic, Frnancral and Monetary - - Questions Publications The members' mandate secretariat tel. 546.92.27 (President: Goke Frenchs - Group I - Germany) The main task of members is to issue opinions on The ESC regularly distributes a number of pubhca- matters referred to the ESC bv the Commissron and - Extemal Relahons, Trade and Development Policy - tions free of charge (order rn wnting by mail or fax - the Council. secretariat tel. 546.93.1 6 546.98.22), rncluding main (Presldent John F. Carroll - Group II - Ireland) lts opinions in brochure format and a monthly newsletter. It should be noted that the ESC is the only body of - Social, Famrly, Educatronal and Cultural Affars - Secretariat-General its type which advises the EU Council of Ministers secretariat tel. 546.93 02 directly. (President. Mrs H.C.H. van den Burg - Group II - Netherlands) The Committee is serviced by a secretariat-general, Advisory role - Protectlon ofthe Environment, Public Health and headed by a secretary-general who reports to the Consultation of the ESC by the Commission or the Consumer Affars presrdent, representing the bureau. Councrl is mandatory in certain cases; in others it is secretariat tel 546.96.57 optional. The ESC may, however, also adopt opin- (Presrdent: Manuel Ataide Feneira - Group III - Since I January 1995, the Economic and Social ions on its own initiative. The Srngle European Act Portugal) Committee and the Committee of the Regions have (17 .2.86) and the Maastricht Treaty (7 .2.92) have ex- - Agnculture and Frsheries - shared a common core of departments, mainly tended the range of issues whrch must be referred to secretariat tel. 546.93.96 staffed by members of the ESC secretanat. the Committee, in particular the new policies (re- (Presidenr Pere Margalef Masii - Group III - Sparn) gronal and environment policy). On average the ESC Regronal Development and Town and Country Planmng 1997 Budget delivers 145 advisory documents a year (of which - secretariat tel. 546.92 57 l57o are issued on its own-initiative). All oprnrons (President: Robert Moreland - Group III are forwarded to the Communrty's decisron-making The 1997 ESC budget totals ECU 27,865.858. The United Kingdom.l bodies and then published in the EU's Official Jour- budget for the departments servrcing both the ESC nal. - Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services - and the Committee of the Regions stands at ECU Information and integration role secretariat tel. 546.93.85 53.775.429. (Presrdent: John Lrttle - Group I - Unrted Krngdom) Over the last few years the ESC has stepped up its - Transport and Communrcatrons role in the European Union and has transcended the secretanat tel. 546.93.53 straight forward dutres flowing from the Treatres. It (President: Erke Eulen - Group II - Germany) acts as a forum for the single market and has hosted, - Energy, Nuclear Questions and Research - with the support of other EU bodres, a series of secretanat tel. 546 97 .94 events aimed at bringing the EU closer to the people. (President. Jos6 Ignacio Gafo Fern6ndez - Group I - Sparn) Internal organization 3. Study groups 1. Presidency and bureau Section oprnrons are drafted by study groups. These Every two years the ESC elects a bureau made up of 36 members (12 per group), and a president and two usually have l2 members, including a rapporteur vice-presidents chosen from each of the three groups who may be assrsted by experts (usually four with a in rotation. maxrmum of six). EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES i r' tt l'i e&d,.l. i.", BULLITIN ECONOMIC AND S o C I A L C OM M IT T rE Ct5:1 This Bulletin reports on the activities of the Economic and Social Committee, a consultative body of the European Communities. It is published by the ESC's General Secretariat (2, rue Ravenstein, 8-1000 Brussels) in the official Community languages (10 editions per annum) ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMMTEE DIRECTORATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS Specialized Department for Information and Visits 2,rue Ravenstein, B-1000 Brussels Tel.: 546 90 11 Telegram: ECOSEUR Fax: 546 98 22 Telex: 25 983 CESEUR Catalogue number: ESC-97-01 8-EN Brussels: General Secretariat of the Economic and Social Committee, 1997 Reproduction is authoized, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium -r- CONTENTS I. 350th PLENARY SESSION ON IO AIID 1I DECEMBER 1997 1. INFORMATIONAI\TDCOMMUNICATIONTECHNOIOGIES(IM)................... (unanmously adopted) 2. CONNECTEDTELECOMMUNICATIONSEQUIPMENTA{UTUALRECOGNITION (adopted by 95 votes to 2) 3. MOTORVEHICT,ES/TRANSPORTOFAI\[MALS........................ (adopted by 84 wtes to 2 with 3 abstennons) 4. CUSTOMS .......-..................5 (adopted by l0l wtes to 2 with 6 abstentons) 5. COMMUNITY CUSTOMS CODE (Ironstt) (adopted by 106 wtes to 2 wrth 2 abstenfions) 6. xxlTor REPORT ON COMPETITION POLICY (adopted by 98 votes to 2 wtth 4 abstentions) 7, GREENPAPERONSUPPLEMENTARYPENSIONS......................... (adopted by 92 votes to 2) 8. ET ROPEAIT COMPANY STATUTE (Additbnalopinion) (adopted by I 16 votes wth I I ab$entrons) 9, AI\INUAL REPORT ON THE COIIESION TUND (1990... (adopted byl06wtes with 3 abstenfions) 10. AIRPORT CHARGES....... (adopted by 106 votes to 3 wth 7 abstent ons) 11. SHIPS IN PORT ............16 (adopted by 9j votes with 5 abstentions) 12. ROADSAFETY (adopted by 79 votes to I wth 5 abstennons) 13. PORTABILITY/PRE-SELECTION ..-.........................1t (unanmously adopted) (unarumously adopted) 15. S(rcIAL SDCt.IRITY AMENDMENT (adopted by I 04 votes to 3 r'tth 4 abstentions) 16. MODERNIZING AI\D IMPROVING S(rcIAL PROTECTION....... (adopted by 76 votes to 38 with 9 abstentions) 11. COOPERATION WITH CIIARITABLEASSOCIATIONS ANDWITE TEE ECONOMICAND SOCIAL PLAYERS (Ovn-mfiafive opinion).......................... ..................................26 (adopted by 75 votes to 6 with 7 abstenhons) 18. GREEN PAPER - NEWORGAI\IIZATION OFWORK (adopted by 91 votes to I with 4 abstentions) 19. INTRODUCTION OF THE EURO. PRAC:TICALASPEC'TS........ -.........30 (adopted by jS votes with 3 abstenfions) (adopted by I 06 r,otes to 4 with I 0 abstentions) -II- 21. (adopted by 106 wtes to 2 wtth 5 abstenfions) (adopted by 34 wtes wrth 2 abstenions) (adopted by I 13 wtet wth 5 abstentions) 24.