European Economic and Social Committee

PRESS RELEASE No. 68/2005 / 13 June 2005

Outcome of the 418th plenary session of the EESC

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Philippe Maystadt,

President of the EIB, urges closer cooperation with the EESC

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WTO: the EESC calls for trade in services to respect social rights

Exploratory opinion at the request

of the European Commission

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Main opinionsadopted:

-Corporate social responsibility in a globalised economy (owninitiative)

-The Employment Guidelines 2005-2008

-Legal Protection of Designs

-Managing Economic Migration

Philippe Maystadt hopes to broaden cooperation with the EESC

The President of the EIB, Mr Philippe Maystadt, thanked the Committee for the cooperation which had become formalised between the departments of the EIB and the EESC, as for example with the ECO section during the drawing up stage of the Committee’s report on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). He congratulated the Committee on having adopted last March this own-initiative opinion, which had been drawn up by Mr Laveaux. He expressed the hope for future cooperation on other subjects of common interest, such as economic and social cohesion.

Mr Maystadt outlined the top priorities for the EIB: economic and social cohesion which is an important challenge in the context of the new financial perspective, and investment in innovation where the aim is to invest EUR50billion by 2010 in the research field. Other goals are: the development of trans-European networks and their access network, the protection and enhancement of the environment, as well as support for SMEs especially in PPP investments.

In order to achieve these goals, Mr Maystadt stressed the need to work together with those partners which shared these objectives and which would also benefit from cooperating with the EIB. These included: the Commission, international financial institutions (such as the EBRD, the World Bank and the Council of Europe Development Bank) and the banking sector, but also the representatives of the general public: the European Parliament and the representatives of civil society, brought together in the EESC.

The EIB President said that the Bank’s dialogue structure with organised civil society aimed to disclose the maximum amount of information as early as possible on its policies, activities and procedures. However, the policy of openness and better information for the general public had to observe the rules of confidentiality. On this occasion, the President stressed that this was the first public consultation on the EIB’s policy on disclosure and information.

Main opinions adopted at the plenary session

General agreement on trade in services (GATS): Mode 4 Negotiations (movement of physical persons)

Rapporteur: Ms FLORIO (Group II, Employees, Italy)

The EESC calls for trade in services to respect social rights.

This explanatory opinion has been drawn up at the request of the European Commission’s DG Trade. Mode 4 of the GATS agreement is a key point in the ongoing WTO negotiations concerning services. For further information, see press release No 67/2005.

Corporate social responsibility in a globalised economy (owninitiative)

Rapporteur: Ms PICHENOT (Group III Various interests, France)

This own initiative opinion forms part of the ongoing work on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the EU and takes the form of a voluntary request to enterprises to go beyond what they are legally obliged to do. The EESC plays a very active role in the current debate on improving governance on a global level. It is becoming increasingly important to search for socially responsible investment and for increasing awareness of CSR in the new Member States.

The EESC attaches considerable importance to CSR which it wishes to see become one of the driving forces in a global sustainable development strategy. Instruments for measuring CSR have to be legitimate, relevant and reliable.

The EESC recommends the establishment of an information portal on CSR practices adopted by large enterprises; the portal would be based on information provided by the enterprises themselves. At European level, the voluntary and/or negotiated approach to addressing the implications of CSR in all those multinationals which have set up European enterprise committees marks a decisive step.

The Employment Guidelines 2005-2008

Rapporteur: Mr MALOSSE (Group I, Employers, France)

By written procedure, the EESC has already adopted on 31 May its opinion on the Employment guidelines 2005-2008. For further information, see press release No. 63/2005.

Legal Protection of Designs

Rapporteurs: Mr PEGADO LIZ (Group III, Various interests, Portugal) and Mr STEFFENS (Group III, Various interests, Germany)

The Committee restates its position, expressed in previous opinions, and feels that there might be a case for legal protection of industrial designs as a fundamental element in technical innovation and a need to combat counterfeiting.

It welcomes the Commission’s proposal which seeks to achieve an internal market in this field by aligning national systems, based on liberalisation of use of protected designs.

The EESC notes that the monopoly conferred on the owners of designs applies only to the external form of the product, not the product itself. It supports the proposal, which may contribute to greater competition, lower prices and the creation of new jobs, particularly in SMEs.

However, the Committee suggests that there should be a clear demonstration of the compatibility of this proposal with the TRIPS Agreement and more illustration of its effects on employment. The Committee emphasises the need to clarify the provisions concerning the right of consumers to information in terms of the safety and reliability of products from independent suppliers and given the consequences of the use of spare parts in the repair of complex products.

Managing Economic Migration

Rapporteur: Mr PARIZA CASTAÑOS (Group II, Employees, Spain)

The EESC considers that the admission of economic migrants should be regulated at EU levelwith a high degree of harmonisation for their admission. Labour immigration must be possible through legal and transparent channels. The EESC believes that an overall (horizontal) legislative framework is preferable to sectoral legislative proposals.As far as human rights are concerned, the EESC underlines that the starting point should be non-discrimination.

For further information please contact:

Christian Weger, EESC Press Office

99 rue Belliard , B-1040 Brussels

Tel.: 02 546 9586; Mobile: 0475 753 202

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The European Economic and Social Committee represents the different social and economic interest groups of organised civil society. Set up by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, it is a consultative EU institution. Its consultative role allows its members, and thus the organisations they represent, to take part in the Community decision-making process. Subsequent to enlargement the Committee has 317 members, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers for a four-year term.