Dear reader,The year 2004 was anextraordinary one for ourCommittee. We wel-comed 95 new membersand moved — virtually atthe same time — to ournew premises in theheart of the Europeanquarter. The main bulk ofthe work having beendone, we can be proud tostate that this formidable

challenge to both staff and members was masteredremarkably smoothly. Let me express my thanks toall parties involved in this joint effort. Thus, a solidbasis has been created not only for overcomingthe few remaining difficulties, but also — andeven more importantly — for continuing ourCommittee´s work under improved conditions.

New challenges lie ahead.

— We will have a critical look at our internal organ-isation of work.

— Relations with the other institutions and strate-gic partners will have to be renewed orstrengthened.

— The draft Constitution has confirmed andstrengthened the role of the Committee in theEuropean framework. We now have a profilethat will enable us to play a key role in promot-ing and structuring European civil dialogue —we have to use it to its full potential.

— The interinstitutional efforts in bridging the gapbetween the European citizen and the ‘officialEurope’ call for our contribution.

— Over-arching topics shaping the future ofEurope will have to be addressed, such as theLisbon strategy, sustainability and the identifi-cation or definition of other shared values ofEuropean society.

— Our activities in external relations are to be con-tinued and expanded.

At our December plenary meeting, these and othertopics will be discussed on the basis of a concretework programme. I am certain that all these chal-lenges can be tackled in the spirit of cooperationthat is the trademark of our Committee.

With Christmas approaching, let me already seizethis first opportunity to express my thanks for thiscooperation.

Anne-Marie SigmundPresident of the European Economic

and Social Committee

EDITORIAL

• Valencia EURO-MED summit, 18 and 19 November page 2

• Towards a European agenda for metropolitan areas page 2

• Results of the October plenary session: opinions adopted on the Constitutional Treaty,the Lisbon strategy and the environment as an economic opportunity page 3

• Roger Briesch in Rome for the new Treaty of Rome signing ceremony page 4

IN THIS EDITION DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Activities of the EESCduring the LuxembourgPresidency

December 2004 / � THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE — A BRIDGE BETWEEN EUROPE AND ORGANISED CIVIL SOCIETY WWW.ESC.EU.INT

EESCINFO

ISSN 1725-1923

• 26 and 27 January 2005: Joint conference ofthe Luxembourg Economic and Social Counciland the European Economic and SocialCommittee in conjunction with Luxembourg'sPresidency of the European Union ‘For a competi-tive, social and sustainable Europe — Making theLisbon strategy a success through a pact withorganised civil society’.

European ConstitutionThe contribution of civil society is essential if the ConstitutionalTreaty is to be successfully ratified

As the Netherlands Presidency draws to a close, theEESC is already actively preparing for the forthcomingLuxembourg Presidency of the European Union.

Mid-term review of the LisbonstrategyOne of the recurring issues for every Presidency isthe future of Europe, and the Lisbon strategy inparticular.

This has a particular ring of truth for the futureLuxembourg Presidency. It will be in charge of organ-ising the spring summit on 25 March 2005, duringwhich a mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy willbe carried out.

The EESC is particularly active in this field, havingorganised public hearings and drawn the attention ofprime movers in the main European institutions to thedelays that have affected the implementation of thestrategy.

The EESC's most recent contribution was a high-qual-ity opinion for which the rapporteur was Mr BrunoVever (FR), with co-rapporteurs Mr Ernst Ehnmark (SE)and Mr John Simpson (UK). The opinion, entitled'Improving the implementation of the Lisbon strate-gy', was requested from the EESC by the EuropeanCouncil on 25 and 26 March. The opinion was adopt-ed by an overwhelming majority of 169 votes at theEESC's October plenary session, and was transmittedto the Council of the European Union. It is a veryimportant contribution to the forthcoming springsummit during the Luxembourg Presidency.

EESC referrals by the LuxembourgPresidencyThe future Luxembourg Presidency has announced itsintention to ask the EESC to draw up an exploratoryopinion on a subject directly linked to the Lisbonstrategy — sustainable development in the context ofthe financial perspectives for 2007–13.

The EESC has been particularly active in this field,issuing opinions and organising public hearings towhich representatives of civil society organisationsand networks were invited.

The EESC and the network of nationaleconomic and social councilsGiven the large scale of this network, the EESC is cur-rently working to step up contact with all networkmembers, particularly with Luxembourg's Economicand Social Council in view of the forthcomingPresidency. At the invitation of the Luxembourg ESC,the presidents and secretaries-general of the nationalESCs and the EESC held their annual meeting on25 and 26 November 2004. The meeting focused onthe ways and means of achieving the objectives of theLisbon strategy. This summit was also the subject ofa final declaration and a joint press release, from theEconomic and Social Councils of the EU MemberStates and the EESC, which can be consulted on thewebsite of the ESCs and the EESC (www.esc.eu.int).At the summit, it was also decided that ajoint high-level conference would be held inLuxembourg on 26 and 27 January 2005, entit-led 'For a competitive, social and sustainableEurope — Making the Lisbon strategy a successthrough a pact with organised civil society',organised by the European Economic and SocialCommittee and the Luxembourg Economic andSocial Council, as part of Luxembourg'sPresidency of the EU.

New address of the EESC:Rue Belliard 99, B-1040 Brussels

Improving the implementation of the Lisbon strategy. Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund, President of the EESC with his Royal HighnessGrand Duke Henri and Mr. Raymond Hencks, President of theLuxembourg ESC, in the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg.

(Continued on page 2)

No one would dispute that there is no longer anypoint in further discussion of ways and means ofmodifying the Constitutional Treaty. What mattersnow is to focus on the ratification campaign underway in the 25 Member States and, particularly in thecountries which have chosen to hold referendums, toimplement an effective communications strategyenabling European citizens to be fully informed of theins and outs of this Treaty, which was formally signedby the representatives of the 25 Member States in

Mr Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, MEP, rapporteur on the ConstitutionalTreaty, Mr Richard Corbett, MEP, rapporteur on the ConstitutionalTreaty, Mr Johannes Voggenhuber, 1st Vice-President of theEuropean Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee, Mr RogerBriesch, Vice-President of the EESC.

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EESC INFO / December 2004 / �

From left to right: Hanna Siniora of the Palestinian Economic andSocial Council; Zdenek Skromach, Deputy Prime Minister of theCzech Republic, Minister of Labour and President of the Councilof Economic and Social Agreement; Roger Briesch, Vice-President of the EESC; Jaime Montalvo Correa, President of theSpanish Economic and Social Council; Amjad El Majali, theJordanian Minister of Labour and Chairman of the AdvisoryCommittee for Social Dialogue; Ephraim Zilony of the IsraeliEconomic and Social Council.

EESC Bureauextraordinary meetingat The Hague,NetherlandsThe newly-elected EESC Bureau met on23 November at The Hague (Netherlands). Ajoint formal sitting had also been organised withthe Executive Bureau of the Dutch Economic andSocial Council (SER).

At its meeting, the EESC Bureau discussed thepresident's work programme 2004–06, whichthe new President, Anne-Marie Sigmund, wouldpresent at the plenary session on 15 and16 December.

During the joint formal sitting between the SERBureau and the EESC Bureau, the SER President,Mr Herman H. F. Wijffels, spoke on ‘Labour rela-tions in the Netherlands — the current situation:the role of the SER and the Labour Foundation’.

The two bureaux also discussed topical issues,including the European ConstitutionalTreaty and the Lisbon strategy.

Agriculture and food safety, immigration key topics discussed at the ValenciaEURO-MED summit on 18 and 19 November

Agriculture and food safety and the question ofimmigration were the key topics under discussionat the Museo Príncipe Felipe in Valencia, the venuefor this year's EURO-MED summit organised by theEuropean Economic and Social Committee and theEconomic and Social Council of the Kingdom ofSpain.

For the first time, the summit brought togetherrepresentatives of the new configuration of anenlarged 25-member European Union and nine ofthe 10 Mediterranean partner countries includingthe Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Agriculture and food safety in the context ofthe EURO-MED partnership was one of themajor topics discussed. The summit recommendedthat agriculture be given higher political priority inthe Barcelona process, so that the MEDA pro-gramme could create the right climate for agricul-tural development and food safety.

Following discussion of the other major report on‘Immigration and cooperation between the coun-tries of the region’, the summit called for more

Rome on 29 October. The active involvement oforganised civil society is, in this context, one of thekeys to the success of the process.

This message, delivered at the Committee's plenarysession on 28 October by Henri Malosse, rapporteuron the Constitutional Treaty, was stressed again at ajoint hearing on the European Constitution chaired byRoger Briesch, Vice-President of the EESC, and organ-ised in cooperation with the European Parliament'sCommittee on Constitutional Affairs. At this meeting,nearly 80 representatives of European civil societynetworks and organisations clearly expressed theirsupport for the Constitutional Treaty and their desireto be actively involved in the ratification process.

The heart of the debate: how doesthe Treaty benefit the public?The role of civil society in publicawarenessTwo key issues were at the heart of the debates: (i)How does the Constitutional Treaty benefit theEuropean public? (ii) What role can civil society organ-isations play in raising public awareness?

The European Parliament's Constitutional AffairsCommittee was represented by its First Vice-Chairman, Johannes Voggenhuber, and by theEuropean Parliament's rapporteurs on theConstitutional Treaty, Richard Corbett and IñigoMéndez de Vigo. The EESC's rapporteur, HenriMalosse, also attended this meeting, which formedpart of the preparations for the hearing of represen-tatives of the main sectors of European organisedcivil society which the Constitutional AffairsCommittee will be holding on 25 November.

Prior to this hearing, which the EESC has also helpedto prepare, Henri Malosse will present theCommittee's opinion, drawn up at the request of theEuropean Parliament, to the Constitutional AffairsCommittee members.

Following the debates on 9 November, RichardCorbett expressed his intention to alter his draftreport, which was due to be adopted by the EuropeanParliament in early December, so as to take accountof the contributions made by the speakers, and inparticular to put more emphasis on the progressmade by the Constitutional Treaty in the areas of cit-izens' rights and participatory democracy.

Roger Briesch and Johannes Voggenhuber, for theirpart, welcomed the cooperation between theCommittee and the European Parliament launched atthis event, which reflects their desire that organisedcivil society be actively involved in the informationand awareness campaigns that will be taking place inMember States during the process of ratifying theConstitutional Treaty.

(continued from page 1)

Ms Sigmund, President of the EESC,with Mr Wijffels, President of the SER.

A European agendafor the metropolitan areasThe EESC opinion on ‘European metropolitanregions: socioeconomic implications for Europe'sfuture’ (own-initiative opinion) was adopted almostunanimously on 1 July 2004. The rapporteur wasMr van Iersel.

As part of the preparations for drawing up theopinion, the Committee held a hearing on19 February 2004 with representatives of severalEuropean organisations such as Metrex andEurocities. Also attending was Professor Sir PeterHall, Director of the Institute of Community Studiesand one of the world's leading experts on issuesrelating to urban agglomerations.

The study group also visited Barcelona, a particu-larly interesting metropolitan area and a primeexample of good governance in a metropolitanarea.

As a follow-up to the opinion, the EESC recentlyheld a conference in Amsterdam on 9 and10 December entitled 'A European agenda for met-ropolitan areas' with Regio Randstad, the metro-politan area covering the main urban agglomera-tions in the Netherlands.

One of the key conclusions drawn at the confer-ence was that the European institutions should paymore attention to urban phenomena and, in partic-ular, the development of urban regions, as it is inthese areas that the European Union will have toface its main challenges in the 21st century.

The conference was attended by about 20 EESCmembers, including the EESC President,Ms Sigmund, who spoke at the closing session, thepresident of the study group, Mr Pariza, and therapporteur, Mr van Iersel.

Professor Hall with EESC members Mr van Iersel (NL, Group I) andMr Pariza Castaños (E, Group II).

integrated migration policies providing a balancedview of all aspects of migration including migrato-ry flow management, combating the causes ofclandestine and irregular migration, and the socialand professional integration of migrants and theirfamilies.

The EESC delegation, led by Vice-Presidents RogerBriesch and Dimitrios Dimitriadis, also held aseries of bilateral meetings with several delega-tions, including the Israeli Economic and SocialCommittee, the Jordanian Minister of Labour andthe Palestinian Economic and Social Council. TheIsraelis and Palestinians noted their willingness tobring civil society organisations together to workfor peace in the Middle East.

The Jordanian Minister of Labour, Mr Amjad Majali,expressed his country's interest in hosting the2005 summit of economic and social councils andsimilar institutions in Amman. Mr Majali, who alsochairs the Tripartite Commission on SocialDialogue, an ILO-sponsored project in Jordan, isalso working on the establishment of a Jordanianeconomic and social committee.

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EESC INFO / December 2004 / �

Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund(Group III — Various interests — Austria)

The new President of the European Economic and Social Committee

Inaugural speech by Anne-Marie Sigmundon her election as

President of the European Economic and Social Committee

Brussels, 27 October 2004

1. THANKS

First of all I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for the confidenceyou have shown in me by electing me to this post.

Continuity

I would therefore like the keynote of this forthcoming term of office to becontinuity. The strategic approaches of my predecessors, from BeatriceRangoni-Machiavelli and Göke Frerichs to Roger Briesch, have withstoodthe test of time.

2. INTERNAL AND INTERINSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS

2.1. Internal organisation of work

Integrating our 95 new colleagues has been just as successful as was themove to the new building in the heart of the European quarter.

We have highly-qualified, motivated staff.

In spite of this, I am convinced that our institution is not yet operating atits optimum efficiency.

If we improve transparency and communication, we will also improvedecision-making and, not least, motivation.

In our consultative work, we must adhere yet more firmly to the principleof selectivity, in order to demonstrate our particular added value evenmore clearly than we have done up until now.

2.2. Relations with other institutions and strategic partners

Our cooperation with the other institutions is going through a period ofsignificant change.— The Europe of 15 has been enlarged to a Europe of 25.

— We will be working together with a newly-elected Parliament and a newly-appointed Commission.

— The Constitutional Treaty, which will be signed the day after tomorrow inRome, has laid the foundations for a quantum leap in the legal basis forEuropean action.

The EESC's role has already been strengthened by the Treaty of Nice, andthe Constitutional Treaty extends it still further.

It is now up to us to use these opportunities and to confirm and strengthenour position as a useful and reliable partner.

I will therefore make a point of using the early days of my presidency fordialogue with senior representatives from the Commission, the Council

and the European Parliament, and for a meeting with the President of theCoR. I will also make every effort to make personal contact, or renew andstrengthen existing contacts, with the heads of the most important EUagencies and with key players in organised civil society.

3. CHALLENGES FOR EUROPE

Some of the priorities for our work as a Committee will be set for us fromoutside, as the new challenges facing the European Union will also be afactor in determining the Committee's agenda.

3.1. Constitution — Civil dialogue

The draft Constitution and its provisions on participatory democracy andcivil dialogue have given the Committee every opportunity to put its self-image as a bridge to civil society to the test. We now have a profile thatwill enable us to play a key role in promoting and structuring Europeancivil dialogue. This key role — and I am particularly keen to emphasise this— should not mean that we claim a monopoly on civil dialogue in all itsforms; it still leaves plenty of scope for other essential facets of thisinteractive public debate.

3.2. Communicating Europe

If organised civil society is to play a part in European matters, it must wantto do so. However, almost the opposite seems to be true at the moment.The question is ‘Has President Delors' citizens' Europe left the citizensbehind?’ The level of participation in elections to the European Parliamentwould suggest that it has.

The Dutch Presidency and the Commission have therefore, quite rightly,made the ‘Communicating Europe’ initiative, launched under the IrishPresidency, a priority.

We will doubtless have an important part to play in this communicationstrategy. In doing so we have an advantage over the other institutions inthe form of direct access to civil society in the 25 Member States. With over300 national organisations and wider networks, our members hold the keyto this.

3.3. Foreign policy

New candidate countries are awaiting entry. The enlargement of the EUalso means that we have new neighbours, who are expecting us to adoptclear positions.

The Commission was therefore justified in sending a clear signal byspecifically mentioning neighbourhood policy in the portfolio of theAustrian commissioner, Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner. In my initialpreparatory contact with her, I told her about the Committee's desire tocooperate actively and received her agreement in principle to involve us inappropriate additional tasks.

The issue of the content and structure of European foreign and trade policyis also of concern to the Committee. The key words here are ‘globalgovernance’. Continuing our bilateral and multilateral cooperation policywill form the basis for putting this into practice.

4. THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: PROPOSED KEY SUBJECTS

I firmly believe that the draft Constitution is not the end, but rather thebeginning of that debate.

4.1. Lisbon strategy

First and foremost I would like to mention the Lisbon strategy. Therefore,this international shop window of European economic and social policyhas an opportunity to build identity like almost no other Europeaninitiative.

We will today be adopting an opinion that contains proposals forimproving the Lisbon strategy and sets the direction for our futureactivities in this area.

4.2. Sustainability

The principle of sustainability, which is specified as a goal in theConstitutional Treaty, will increasingly influence the debate on the future.The European Union has made its commitment to sustainability and to

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BUREAUThe Bureau organises the Committee'soperations and proceedings.It has 37 members including the presidentand the two vice-presidents.Anne-Marie Sigmund — AustriaGroup IDimitrios Dimitriadis — GreeceJosé María Espuny Moyano — SpainGöke Frerichs — GermanyFilip Hamro-Drotz — FinlandJohannes Kleemann — AustriaHenri Malosse — France

PRESIDENCYThe EESC Presidencycomprisesone president andtwo vice-presidentswith a two-year termof office.

PresidentAnne-Marie SigmundGroup III — Variousinterests — Austria

New organisation of the EESC f

Secretary-General of the CommitteePatrick Venturini

Vice-PresidentRoger BrieschGroup II — Employees— France

Vice-PresidentDimitrios DimitriadisGroup I — Employers —Greece

The EESC is divided into three groups: ‘Employers’, ‘Employees’ and ‘Various interests’.Group I — Employers

PresidentGiacomo RegaldoItaly

Vice-Presidents — Group I

Manuel Cavaleiro Brandão — PortugalAntal Csuport — HungaryFilip Hamro-Drotz — FinlandRenate Hornung-Draus — GermanyJosé Isaías Rodríguez García-Caro — Spain

Group II — Employees

PresidentMario SepiItaly

Vice-Presidents — Group II

Peteris Krigers — LatviaJosly Piette — BelgiumHeinz Putzhammer — GermanyMaría Candelas Sánchez Miguel — Spain

Group III — Various interests

PresidentStaffan NilssonSweden

Vice-Presidents — Group III

Miklos Barabás — HungaryLucia Fusco — ItalyJillian van Turnhout — Ireland

Peter Mihók — SlovakiaGintaras Morkis — LithuaniaJaroslaw Mulewicz — PolandGiacomo Regaldo — ItalyJoost van Iersel — The NetherlandsClive Wilkinson — United KingdomGroup IIRoger Briesch — FranceLiina Carr — EstoniaGeorgios Dassis — GreeceAlexander-Michael Graf von Schwerin —

GermanyDerek Hunter — United Kingdom

Søren Kargaard — DenmarkDemetris Kittenis — CyprusJosly Piette — BelgiumMetka Roksandic — SloveniaMario Sepi — ItalyDana Stechová —

Czech RepublicJosé María Zufiaur — SpainGroup IIIGrace Attard — MaltaAdrien Bedossa — FranceHenriks Danusevics — Latvia

Ann Davison —United Kingdom

John Donnelly — IrelandJoseph Ewert — LuxembourgBernardo Hernández Bataller —

SpainJean-François Hoffelt —

BelgiumStaffan Nilsson — SwedenMartin Nose — SloveniaJorge Pegado Liz — PortugalJanos Tóth — Hungary

02_2004_0583_9_EN.qxd 20-01-2005 16:53 Pagina 4

C for the next two years

QUAESTORSPursuant to the new EESC rules of procedure,three quaestors have been elected.

Antonello PezziniGroup I — Employers —Italy

Daniel RetureauGroup II — Employees —France

Carlos RibeiroGroup III — Variousinterests — Portugal

For its work on the main fields covered by the Treaties,the Committee has six sections and a Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCIC), namely:

Section for the Single Market, Production andConsumption (INT)

PresidentBernardo HernándezBataller

Group III — Various interests — Spain

Section for External Relations (REX)

PresidentAnn Davison

Group III — Various interests — United KIngdom

Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructureand the Information Society (TEN)

PresidentAlexander-MichaelGraf von Schwerin

Group II — Employees — Germany

Section for Economic and Monetary Union andEconomic and Social Cohesion (ECO)

PresidentGeorgios Dassis

Group II — Employees — Greece

Section for Agriculture, Rural Development andthe Environment (NAT)

PresidentJosé María EspunyMoyano

Group I — Employers — Spain

Section for Employment, Social Affairs andCitizenship (SOC)

PresidentHenri Malosse

Group I — Employers — France

Lastly, the EESC has set up a Single MarketObservatory (SMO), which has 30 membersand is chaired by:

PresidentBryan Cassidy

Group I — Employers — United Kingdom

The Consultative Commission on Industrial Changewas set up by an EESC plenary assembly decisionof 24 October 2002, following the expiry of the

Coal and Steel Treaty(ECSC)

PresidentJosly Piette

Group II — Employees — Belgium

Two ad hoc groups have been instructed toassist the Bureau in its work.� The Budget Group has nine members and is

chaired by:Dimitrios Dimitriadis,Vice-President of the EESCGroup I — Greece� The Communication Group has nine members

and is chaired by:Roger Briesch,Vice-President of the EESCGroup II — France

02_2004_0583_9_EN.qxd 20-01-2005 16:53 Pagina 5

EESC INFO / December 2004 / �

sustainable development its international calling card. In this, it can beconfident of the support of the European public — this is an area where animportant criterion of European identity can be expanded and clarified.

4.3. Culture

As well as preserving our shared heritage and art, culture includeseducation, training, sport and recreation, and also science and research.Culture thus also provides the basis for any public discussion based onshared values. Culture as a process thus allows room both for diversityand for identity.

If we are serious about creating a European identity based, as Giscardd'Estaing has said, on unity in diversity, we must put the debate aboutculture on the widest possible basis. For this, too, the EESC is the best-placed institution. I promise that in this area, too, I will have firm proposalsfor action in December.

5. ORGANISED CIVIL SOCIETY: EXPERIENCING EUROPE

The key issues in the debate on the future of Europe will be our sharedEuropean values and goals. These are the constituent parts of a commonEuropean culture, whose social dimension we should keep onemphasising. This culture must not remain the preserve of the elite: peopleneed to change from being spectators to being participants, because onlyparticipation can engender a sense of being a stakeholder in society.

Organised civil society is key to all this. It is here that shared values arenot only debated, but also lived out. This living culture has the potentialto become a channel for the creation of a European consciousness, aEuropean identity.

One of the key elements that brings European politics and civil societytogether is our Committee, in its role as a bridge between Europe andorganised civil society.

6. SUMMARY

I will set out a detailed work programme, which will, as far as I can seestanding here today, contain the following key elements.

(1) Improving internal communication: Here I am thinking of creating a spe-cific ‘open method of coordination’, which makes a firm commitment to trans-parency.

(2) Further strengthening the Committee's position within the institu-tional framework: My goal is to conclude a cooperation agreement with theEuropean Parliament, set out a formalised pragmatic strategy for cooperationwith the Council, and optimise our relations with the CoR.

(3) Formalising and further deepening our relations with representativesof organised civil society at Community level: Roger Briesch has alreadylaid the foundations for this; we must build on what has already been achieved.This particularly applies to cooperation with the social partners.

(4) Definitive clarification of the EESC's role in civil dialogue by creatingappropriate working structures: Here, too, I am not starting from scratch.The activities that began as part of the Convention need to be continued.

(5) Groundwork on the ‘Communicating Europe’ initiative and cooperationwith the appropriate cooperation partners at European, national and locallevels.

(6) Carrying out specific tasks within our areas of competence in shapingthe Union's foreign policy.

(7) Priority action in key areas such as sustainability, European identity, etc.,but also initiatives in areas that affect the Committee's concept of culture. Inthis area I am basing myself on the Commission's former Forward Studies Unit,which acted as a kind of internal think-tank and gave the Commission signifi-cant food for thought.

The Europe we share is a success story: most of its achievements are nowtaken for granted to such an extent that they are no longer attributed totheir source.

However, even if we solve the communication problem, an idea of Europethat looks only to the past cannot help to build a lasting European senseof identity. We therefore need a vision of Europe that looks to the future.Working at and for this Europe is worthwhile, and our Committee, as aplatform of organised civil society, has at its disposal all the prerequisitesand the means to make a significant contribution.

EESC PRESIDENTS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS SINCE 1958Term of office President Country Group Vice-President Country Group Vice-President Country Group

1958–60 Mr DE STAERKE Belgium I Mr CANTONI Italy III Mr ROSENBERG Germany II1960–62 Mr ROSENBERG Germany II Mr DE STAERKE Belgium I Mr CANTONI Italy III1962–64 Mr ROCHE France III Mr JONKER Netherlands I Mr ROSENBERG Germany II1964–66 Mr GIUSTINIANI Italy I Mr COOL Belgium II Mr GENIN France III1966–68 Mr MAJOR Belgium II Mr KRAMER Germany I Mr GERMOZZI Italy III1968–70 Mr BERNS Luxembourg III Mr de PRÉCIGOUT France I Mr BRENNER Germany II1970–72 Mr KUIPERS Netherlands I Mr ASCHOFF Germany III Mr BOULADOUX France II1972–74 Mr LAPPAS Germany II Mr CANONGE France III Mr MASPRONE Italy I1974–76 Mr CANONGE France III Mr AMEYE Belgium I Mr CARROLL Ireland II

(23.5.1975)Mr van GREUNSVEN Netherlands

(25.6.1975)1976–78 Mr DE FERRANTI UK I Mr van GREUNSVEN Netherlands II Mr BERNS Luxembourg III1978–80 Ms BADUEL- Italy II Mr RENAUD France I Mr ROSEINGRAVE Ireland III

Ms GLORIOSO (22.6.1979)Mr VANNI Italy II

(28.6.1979)1980–82 Mr ROSEINGRAVE Ireland III Mr MILLER UK I Mr LAVAL France II1982–84 Mr CEYRAC France I Mr PFEIFFER Germany II Mr MARGOT Belgium III1984–86 Mr MUHR Germany II Mr NOORDWAL Netherlands I Mr EMO- Italy III

Mr CAPODILISTA1986–88 Mr MARGOT Belgium III Mr ZUFIAUR Spain II Mr POETON UK I

Mr NARVAIZA1988–90 Mr MASPRONE Italy I Mr JAKOBSEN Denmark III Mr JENKINS UK II1990–92 Mr STAEDELIN France II Mr KAZAZIS Greece I Ms TIEMANN Germany III

(30.12.1991)Mr GEUENICH Germany II

(30.1.1992)1992–94 Ms TIEMANN Germany III Mr LIVERANI Italy II Mr STECHER Spain I

Mr NAVARRA1994–96 Mr FERRER Spain I Mr NIELSEN Denmark II Mr LAUR France III1996–98 Mr JENKINS UK II Mr JASCHICK Germany III Mr REGALDO Italy I1998–2000 Ms RANGONI- Italy III Mr PIETTE Belgium II Ms REGNELL Sweden I

Ms MACHIAVELLI2000–02 Mr FRERICHS Germany I Mr SIMPSON UK III Mr VINAY Italy II2002–04 Mr BRIESCH France II Mr FRERICHS Germany I Mr NIELSEN Denmark III

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EESC INFO / December 2004 / �

Further strengthening the position of theEuropean Economic and Social Committee(EESC) within the European Union's institu-tional framework; greater clarification of theEESC's role vis-à-vis the social partners;responding to the ever-growing communica-tion challenge; providing a strong contribu-tion to key EU policies such as the Lisbonstrategy, sustainable development, the EU inthe world and culture; promoting theConstitutional Treaty: these were some ofthe key areas outlined by Ms Anne-MarieSigmund, following her election as Presidentof the EESC by a very large majority on 27October, during the EESC's plenary session.

‘We need a vision of Europe that looks to thefuture,' said Ms Sigmund following the electionresult. 'The Committee, as a platform for organisedcivil society, has at its disposal all the prerequisitesand all the means to make a significant contribu-tion.’

‘An idea of a Europe that looks only to the pastcannot help to build a lasting European sense ofidentity,’ she continued.

Anne-Marie Sigmund electedPresident of the EuropeanEconomic and SocialCommitteeEU policies: Ms Sigmund's speech at a glance:

�� On communicating Europe: ‘We (the EESC)will have an important part to play in the EU'semerging communication strategy. In thisregard, we have an advantage over the otherinstitutions in the form of direct access to civilsociety in the 25 Member States. With over 300national organisations and wider networks, ourmembers hold the key to this.’

�� On the EU's Lisbon strategy: ‘If it is to work,the strategy must have the active support of theEuropean people. However, the fact that itsimplementation is losing momentum is testimo-ny to a lack of participation. The Committee canmake a significant contribution to resolvingthis.’

�� On sustainable development: ‘The EuropeanUnion has made its commitment to sustainabili-ty and to sustainable development its interna-tional calling card. In this it can be confident ofthe support of the European public — an areawhere an important criterion of European identi-ty can be expanded and clarified.’

�� Culture: ‘If we are serious about creating aEuropean identity based … on "unity in diversi-ty", we must give the debate about culture thewidest possible focus. I will have firm proposalsfor action in December.’

Opinions adopted on the Treatyestablishing a Constitution forEurope, on the implementation ofthe Lisbon strategy, on the environ-ment as an economic opportunityand on training and productivity

In the opinion drafted by Henri Malosse (rap-porteur-general, Group I, Employers, France)on the Treaty establishing a Constitution forEurope, prepared at the request of theEuropean Parliament and adopted by theEuropean Economic and Social Committee byan overwhelming majority at its plenary ses-sion of 27 and 28 October, five clear mes-sages emerge in favour of ratifying theTreaty.

�� The convention method fully legitimises theprocess of preparing the Constitutional Treaty,and therefore the Treaty itself.

�� The Constitutional Treaty will help close thedemocratic gap.

Outcome of the October plenary session

Roger Briesch hands over the presidency to Anne-Marie Sigmund.

‘Without citizens’ involvement,Lisbon bubble unlikely to waituntil 2010 to burst'The European Economic and SocialCommittee (EESC) has sent a clear messageto the European Council.Ahead of the Kok report, the EESC plenaryconcluded that there is a risk of failing toapply sufficient determination to economic,social and environmental reforms whilecontinuing to believe strategy can be deliv-ered.During its plenary session on 27 October,the European Economic and SocialCommittee adopted an opinion on theimplementation of the Lisbon strategy as ithad been asked to do by last March'sEuropean Council. The representatives ofthe various economic and social compo-nents of organised civil society in Europesent a clear and unambiguous message toEU Heads of State or Government, whichsets out a view of progress on the Lisbonstrategy which has not been stated explicit-ly until now.In the past, Member States have favoureddebates on objectives already set rather than car-rying out a vigorous evaluation and applicationof reforms already under way. They haveincreased the number of new aims and commit-ments but have failed to act. ‘There is thereforethe risk of failing to apply sufficient determina-tion to the necessary reforms, whilst believingthat the strategy can be delivered. Such a Lisbonbubble would be unlikely to wait until 2010 toburst.’Civil society in Europe is ready to commit itself tothe Lisbon reforms but has so far been littleinvolved. ‘The Lisbon objectives will not beachieved without civil society being informed,alerted, involved and mobilised.’Speaking after the debate, Anne-Marie Sigmund,the newly elected President of the EESC, called onthe European Council to create a framework inwhich organised civil society in Europe couldassume its responsibilities for the Lisbon objec-tives. She said the EESC was ready to play a fullpart in any partnership for reform programme.This message would be delivered to the Presidentof the European Council and to other EU Heads ofState or Government.

Training and productivity (exploratory opin-ion at the request of the Dutch Presidency)

Rapporteur: Mr Christoforos Koryfidis (Group II,Employees, Greece)

The draft opinion underlines the importance ofclearly defining what continuing training shouldmean in practice today, whom it concerns and howit can be financed. There is also a need for aEuropean dimension in vocational training policy.Despite all the differences in their education sys-tems, the EU Member States must regard them-selves as forming a ‘training area’.

The environment as an economic opportunity(exploratory opinion for the DutchPresidency)

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

The draft opinion states that environmental needsdo not always impair competitiveness and eco-nomic development.

Ability of SMEs and companies to adapt tothe social economy/economic dynamism(exploratory opinion)

Rapporteur: Mrs Lucia Fusco (Group III, Variousinterests, Italy)

The draft opinion recommends that the EuropeanCommission should re-examine existing andpotential interaction between small and medium-sized enterprises and social economy enterprises.

Business competitiveness (exploratory opin-ion)

Rapporteur: Mr Bruno Vever (Group I, Employers,France)

The draft opinion stresses that the EESC notes thatthe competitive shortcoming of EU businesses rep-resent the heavy price being paid today for aEurope which is not enterprising enough andwhich is slow to take decisions.

Industrial change and State aid in the steelsector (own-initiative opinion)

Rapporteur: Mr Lagerholm (Group I, Employers,Sweden)

Past experience with the restructuring of theEuropean steel industry shows that State aid tocompanies is a double-edged sword: it only bene-fits particular companies and results in misguidedinvestment.

Health safety: a collective obligation and anew right (own-initiative opinion)

Rapporteur: Mr Bedossa (Group III, Various inter-ests, France)

At European level, public health administration isinadequate and has very weak legal support. Italso lacks medical legitimacy, owing to the scarci-ty of resources. This needs to be improved.

Consumer policy in an enlarged Union

Rapporteur: Mr Pegado Liz (Group III, Various inter-ests, Portugal)

The immediate priorities of EU consumer policy areto consolidate the application of the EU's stock ofexisting legislation in this area, improve consumerinformation and education and promote strongand independent consumer organisations.

�� Incorporating the Charter for FundamentalRights is a big step forward in the protection ofcitizens' rights.

�� The Constitutional Treaty represents a boost tothe European model of society.

�� The Constitutional Treaty is only a frameworkfor implementing EU policies so that the EUmeets citizens' expectations. There has to be aconsistent economic and social project based ona review of the Lisbon strategy.

Four-point communication strategy

With a view to ratification of the ConstitutionalTreaty by Europe's citizens, the EESC suggests afour-point communication strategy:

� the preparation of ‘information tools’, whichmay take the form of ‘bite-size’ chunks of theConstitution, geared to the concerns of the var-ious categories of the population in eachMember State;

� the launching of communication campaigns inthe media and other vectors close to ordinarypeople (such as local and regional authorities,civil society organisations and political groups);

� the organisation of decentralised debates at theinitiative of civil society organisations and opento all citizens, so as to spark off exchanges ofideas and thus allow people to form an opinionwith full knowledge of the facts;

� the Europeanisation of information campaignsand debates on the Constitutional Treaty, so thatratification is not too dependent on domesticpolicy issues in the Member States.

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The presidents of theeconomic and socialcouncils of the EUMember States and theEuropean Economic andSocial Council adopt aposition on the mid-termreview of the Lisbonstrategy

At the invitation of the Economic and Social Council ofthe Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the presidents andsecretaries-general of the national ESCs and the EESCheld their annual meeting in Luxembourg on 25 and26 November 2004. The meeting focused on ways andmeans of achieving the objectives of the Lisbon strate-gy, which are to make Europe 'the most competitive anddynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capa-ble of sustainable economic growth with more and bet-ter jobs and greater social cohesion' by 2010.

In their Luxembourg declaration, the presidents of thenational ESCs and the EESC stress the following points.

� Lisbon's three-strand comprehensive strategy andobjectives are still relevant and must contribute toimproving the well-being of European citizens.

� Public involvement at national and regional levels isvital if the objectives set at European level are to beachieved effectively. The mid-term review of theLisbon strategy provides the opportunity to hold abroad public debate.

� The multiple processes involved in the three-strandstrategy must be streamlined, and coordinatedprogress is to be properly assessed.

� Thus, in order to achieve the jointly agreed objectivesin the longer term, regular assessments of the strate-gy's results should be part of general policieslaunched or to be launched at national level.Emphasis therefore must be placed on the concertedimplementation of reforms.

� The presidents of the national ESCs and the EESCbelieve that a coherent and comprehensive summaryreport on all the various processes should be avail-able for the spring summit.

� The presidents of the national ESCs and the EESC arecommitted to ensuring continued cooperation on theLisbon strategy and the follow-up of its implementa-tion between now and 2010.

A joint high-level conference entitled ‘Towards a com-petitive, social and sustainable Europe — Successfullyimplementing the Lisbon strategy through a pact withorganised civil society’ will be organised by theEuropean Economic and Social Committee and theLuxembourg Economic and Social Council inLuxembourg on 26 and 27 January 2005, underLuxembourg's Presidency of the EU.

The text of the Luxembourg declaration of the Economicand Social Councils of the EU Member States and theEuropean Economic and Social Committee is available onthe websites of the ESCs (EU Member States) and theEESC (www.esc.eu.int).

IN BRIEF

Roger Briesch in Rome for‘new Treaty of Rome'signing ceremonyRoger Briesch, representing the EuropeanEconomic and Social Committee (EESC), attend-ed the official signing ceremony of theConstitutional Treaty, held on 29 October. Hewas the guest of the Dutch Presidency of the Counciland of Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.

Roger Briesch at the official signing of the new ‘Treaty of Rome’.

Andreas Lernhart,Head of the Private Officeof Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund

Andreas Lernhart has takenup his post as Head of thePrivate Office of the newEESC President, Ms Anne-MarieSigmund. ‘I am pleased to beable to contribute to implement-ing the new president's workprogramme,’ said Mr Lernhart.

GoodbyeThomas Jansen

Thomas Jansen, Head of thePrivate Office of outgoing PresidentRoger Briesch, ended his careerwith the Committee at the end ofOctober. ‘Thomas has been a con-stant source of support and inspi-ration during my presidency,’ saidPresident Roger Briesch. ‘His helphas been invaluable in ensuring mysuccess as president of theCommittee during these past twoyears’.

The European ConstitutionalTreaty is just a click away!In order to ensure access to information on the EuropeanConstitutional Treaty, the British government has launchedan Internet version of the complete text. Although nodate has been set yet, the British public are to vote onthe text in a referendum. Please visit the website athttp://www.europarl.org.uk/constitution/.

The hearing entitled‘Tourism policyin the enlarged EU’,took placein Katowice,in the SilesianVoivodeship,on 18 NovemberThe hearing was organised by the KatowiceChamber of Commerce and Industry, in closecooperation with the EESC, the Polish Chamber ofTourism, the Polish Agency of Tourist Developmentand the Polish Tourist Board. During the hearing, astudy of the current state of the tourism sector inthe new Member States of the EU was examinedand the perspectives for development of the sectorwithin the context of the enlarged EU werediscussed.

At the meeting, the EESC was represented byMr Bernardo Hernández Bataller (Group III, Variousinterests, Spain), the President of the EESC'sSection for the Internal Market. Mr TadeuszDonocik (Group I, Employers, Poland) and Mr JuanMendoza (Group II, Employees, Spain), rapporteurof the EESC opinion, and other members of thestudy group were also in attendance.

Among the participants were the representativesof regional Polish authorities and various actorsthat work in the Polish, Estonian and Hungariantourism sectors.

Finally, on 19 November, the Polish organisers ofthe event presented their conclusions with regardto the benchmarking of the tourism sector inKatowice and Crakow.

Editor • Vasco de OliveiraDeputy Editor • Christian WegerAssistant • Anna SkulavíkováAdress • European Economic and SocialCommitteeRue Belliard 99, B-1040 BrusselsTel. (32-2) 546 93 96 or 546 95 86Fax (32-2) 546 97 64E-mail: press@esc.eu.int Internet: http://www.esc.eu.int

A PDF version of this newsletter is available on theEESC’s website:http://www.esc.eu.int/press/eescinfo/index_en.asp

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Print run: 13 200 copies.

Next issue: January 2005.

Hearing: tourism policy in the enlarged EU, Katowice.

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