European Economic and Social Committee

PRESS RELEASE No 121/2006 / 13 December 2006

European Economic and Social Committee

Press Release from Group II

EESC Group II – Employees- supports the petition launched by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC): For High-Quality Public Services, Accessible to All

At its meeting on 13 December 2006, Group II welcomed the petition, "For High-Quality Public Services, Accessible to All", launched by the ETUC, with the support of its Belgian members.

This initiative is in line with the strategy supported by the trade union members of Group II. To date, five opinions have been drawn up on the subject of public services and a sixth, on "Social services of general interest", is currently in preparation.

Whenever the European Commission has issued a Framework Directive reflecting one of the ETUC’s key concerns, it has also been of concern to Group II and to other social, political and institutional actors, particularly within the European Parliament.

Guaranteeing that citizens have access to proper public services is – and remains- one of the pillars of the European social model, aimed at preventing all forms of discrimination and combating unfettered liberalisation.

In reasserting its full support for the ETUC petition, Group II recommends that all the organisations represented within the Group sign and disseminate it.

Further information on the petition can be found at:

For more details, please contact:
Karel Govaert or Christian Weger at the EESC Press Office,
99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 546 9396/9586; Mobile: +32 475 75 32 02
Email:
Website:
Press releases:

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 317members, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers.