ISSN 1725-2423 Official Journal C108 of the European Union Volume 47 English edition Information and Notices 30 April 2004 Notice No Contents Page I Information ...... II Preparatory Acts European Economic and Social Committee 405th plenary session, 28 and 29 January 2004 2004/C 108/01 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Green Paper on the conversion of the Rome Convention of 1980 on the law applicable to contractual obligations into a Community instrument and its modernisation’ (COM(2002) 654 final) ......................................................... 1 2004/C 108/02 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘communication from the Commis- sion to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Adapting e-Business policies in a changing environment: The lessons of the Go Digital initiative and the challenges ahead’ (COM(2003) 148 final) ..................................... 23 2004/C 108/03 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles (recast version)’ (COM(2003) 418 final – 2003/0153 (COD)) ........................................................................... 29 2004/C 108/04 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the measures to be taken against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from compression-ignition engines for use in vehicles, and the emission of gaseous pollutants from positive- ignition engines fuelled with natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas for use in vehicles’ (COM(2003) 522 final - 2003/0205 (COD)) ............................................................................................ 32 Price: EN (Continued overleaf) 22 EUR Notice No Contents (continued) Page 2004/C 108/05 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘preparing transport infrastructure for the future: planning and neighbouring countries - sustainable mobility - financing’ .......................... 35 2004/C 108/06 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Promoting renewable energy: Means of action and financing instruments’ ......................................................................................... 45 2004/C 108/07 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No. 1406/2002 establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency’ (COM(2003) 440 final - 2003/0159 (COD)) ............................. 52 2004/C 108/08 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the regulation of the operation of aeroplanes covered by Part II, Chapter 3, Volume I of Annex 16 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, second edition (1988)’ (COM(2003) 524 final - 2003/0207 (COD)) ...................................................... 55 2004/C 108/09 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road’ (COM(2003) 559 final - 2003/0221 (COD)) ................................................... 56 2004/C 108/10 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No. 2320/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing common rules in the field of civil aviation security’ (COM(2003) 566 final - 2003/0222 (COD)) .......................................................................... 57 2004/C 108/11 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on shipments of waste’ (COM(2003) 379 final - 2003/0139 COD) ............................................................................................................................ 58 2004/C 108/12 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases’ (COM(2003) 492 final – 0189/2003 COD) .................................................................................................... 62 2004/C 108/13 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Council Regulation on the establishment of a regime of local border traffic at the external land borders of the Member States’ and the ‘proposal for a Council Regulation on the establishment of a regime of local border traffic at the temporary external land borders between Member States’ (COM(2003) 502 final – 2003/ 0193 (CNS) – 2003/0194 (CNS)) ......................................................................................... 65 2004/C 108/14 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Europe's Creative Industries’ ............... 68 2004/C 108/15 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 77/388/EEC to extend the facility allowing Member States to apply reduced rates of VAT to certain labour-intensive services’ (COM(2003) 825 final – 2003/0317 (CNS)) ................... 78 2004/C 108/16 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No. 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre’ (COM(2003) 701 final - 2003/0275 CNS) ............................................... 80 EN (Continued on inside back cover) Notice No Contents (continued) Page 2004/C 108/17 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the Internal Market and amending Directives 84/450/EEC, 97/7/EC and 98/27/EC (the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive)’ — COM(2003) 356 final - 2003/0134 (COD) .............................. 81 2004/C 108/18 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws (“the regulation on consumer protection cooperation”)’ (COM(2003) 443 final – 2003/0162 (COD)) ........................................................................... 86 2004/C 108/19 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Commission Report XXXIInd Competition Policy Report 2002’ — SEC(2003) 467 final .......................................................... 90 2004/C 108/20 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a European Agency for the Management of Operational Co-operation at the External Borders’ (COM(2003) 687 final - 2003/0273(CNS)) ................................................................. 97 2004/C 108/21 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘the agricultural employment situation in the EU and the accession countries: options for action for 2010’ ............................................. 101 EN 30.4.2004 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 108/1 II (Preparatory Acts) EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 405TH PLENARY SESSION, 28 AND 29 JANUARY 2004 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Green Paper on the conversion of the Rome Convention of 1980 on the law applicable to contractual obligations into a Com- munity instrument and its modernisation’ (COM(2002) 654 final) On 14 January 2003 the Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned Green Paper. The Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 12 November 2003. The rapporteur was Mr Pegado Liz. At its 405th plenary session of 28 and 29 January 2004 (meeting of 29 January), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 65 votes with one abstention. I. INTRODUCTION A. Objectives, reasons and appropriateness of the Commission's initiative 1.1 The Commission's main purpose in presenting the Green Paper on the conversion of the Rome Convention of 1980 on the law applicable to contractual obligations into a Community instrument and its modernisation [COM(2002) 654 final of 14 January 2003], henceforth referred to as the ‘green paper’, was ‘to launch a wide-ranging consultation of interested parties on a number of legal questions’ concerning conversion and modernisation, formally declaring that it ‘has neither taken a decision in respect of the necessary to modernise the Rome Convention nor in respect of its conversion into a Community instru- ment’. 1.2 In contrast the Committee, acting within the scope of its consultative powers, wishes at this stage to express its approval of the principle of converting the Rome Convention into a Community