European Economic and Social Committee
PRESS RELEASE No 146/2004 / 16 December 2004EESC plenary session: Work Programme of Anne-Marie Sigmund:
“Civil society plays a key role in the search for European identity”
In her speech given at the December plenary session, the new EESC President Anne-Marie Sigmund has set out her work programme and the priorities for her 2004-2006 term of office.
She highlighted the challenges and priorities the EESC faces from outside, ranging from the “Communicating Europe” initiative to the Lisbon Strategy. Nevertheless, the EESC should set priorities for itself: for example, on the European economic and social model, or sustainability. The EESC should develop a close working relationship with the other European institutions and also its external strategic partners. Finally, the new President announced a civil society prize that the EESC will award for outstanding achievements in aid of civil society.
The President defined a series of key objectives, which she hopes can be achieved together by 2006, namely, to ensure that the Committee fulfils its proper role as partner in the civil dialogue, confirming the EESC as the institutional guarantor of participatory democracy.
The EESC will achieve a higher profile and have more influence if it is both efficient and representative. But above all, the topics it deals with have to directly concern and preoccupy organized civil society and Europe’s citizens. That was one of the main messages conveyed by Anne-Marie Sigmund in her speech to the EESC plenary session.
Europe faces challenges and priorities that will shape the EESC’s agenda of the coming years. But the President wishes the Committee to set its own additional priorities, relating to European values and objectives. For her, all priorities have one thing in common: they focus on the future and will shape the life of Europe’s citizens.
External priorities
The President named the Lisbon Strategy a key area of EESC activity. She criticized the fact that civil society is currently not involved. The EESC is presently coordinating its efforts with its civil society partners in order to propose a “rescue plan” for the Lisbon strategy.
The Committee must play an active part in informing and motivating the public by participating in the “Communicating Europe” strategy. However, explaining the Constitution can only be a trigger for a campaign that is a real long-term project and that should lead to a constant dialogue. The President called upon the members to get actively involved.
Ms. Sigmund stressed that the Committee has a crucial role in forming European opinion on the 2007-2013 financial perspective and related areas, as the outcome will have a long-term impact on Europe’s citizens.
External policy is an area where the committee has been particularly active in the past. Ms. Sigmund especially stressed the experience of the new members, who are well placed to develop a successful dialogue with the candidate countries. In the worldwide context, the President wants to put an emphasis on the WTO, but also expand the partnerships to other international organisations. She also proposed setting up an EU/China round table.
The EESC’s own priorities
The Committee must also set its own priorities, which relate to European values and objectives. The President sees the debate about the future of Europe and European identity as the unifying factor for those priorities. Civil society plays a key role in this search for a European identity.
As civil dialogue will be firmly anchored in the new Constitutional treaty, organized civil society will have to make it a living reality. The EESC has to provide major support to civil dialogue at European level. The new liaison group will play a key role here.
The European economic and social model – how can it be defined, preserved and strengthened in the context of globalisation? The President suggested mapping out a coherent model for the future, building on the previous work of the Committee.
Ms. Sigmund regards the sustainability principle as a pact, concluded between generations and different regions of the world, aiming to preserve the world’s resources for future generations. She promised to lend all her personal support to future initiatives of the Committee.
Finally, the cultural dimension of Europe should be a key priority. Culture, understood as a belief in shared values, is a suitable “leitmotiv” for the manifold EESC activities. Europe’s citizens need help to identify themselves as Europeans; they must make active contributions and be able to feel the personal benefit of Europe.
The President made concrete proposals to interlink these priorities. The EESC’s biennial conference will be given the overarching title: “European values – European society – European identity”. Preparatory colloquia will be held, with outside partners and guests from the academic world. The new EESC building could also serve as a European cultural forum. Finally, the President announced a “Civil Society Prize” that will be awarded for outstanding achievements in aid of civil society.
The President wishes to pursue and enhance the existing dialogue with the Committee’s outside partners. The EESC should take a proactive role by issuing explanatory opinions and be involved at an early stage in the interinstitutional work programme. Good contacts have already been established with the Commission. Ms. Sigmund also mentioned the cooperation with national Economic and Social Councils, European social partners, European civil society organisations or NGOs, cooperation she wishes to build on and extend.
The President also proposed improvements to the Committee’s internal communication and working methods. She called for a greater selectivity in the Committee’s work. The EESC needs to focus on its priority areas and work more intensely on those topics. Secondly, she proposed to consider extending the EESC’s work to two additional areas: the impact-assessment of Commission proposals and the monitoring of the implementation of legislative acts. The President feels that in those areas the EESC could provide a real added value.
Reactions from the Plenary
The Group presidents welcomed the President’s speech. Mr Staffan NILSSON, President of Group III, expressed his approval of a number of points of importance to Group III and assured the President of the group’s full support. The President of Group II, Mr Mario SEPI, welcomed the programme, which included a series of issues important to employees, and wished the President every possible success for her term of office. Mr Giacomo REGALDO, President of group I, described the President’s programme as being ‘suitably ambitious’, supported the distinction made between civil dialogue and social dialogue and stressed the importance of the cultural dimension. He also promised the President the full support of his group.
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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 317 members. Its members are appointed by the Council.