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European Economic and Social Committee

PRESS RELEASE No. 69/2004 / 10 May 2004

POLITICAL PRIORITIES 2007-2013 OF THE EU AND THE FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE - THE VIEWS OF ORGANISED CIVIL SOCIETY:

A MAJOR CONFERENCE AT THE EESC

Key participants:

Roger Briesch, President of the European Economic and Social Committee

Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission

Mario Monti, European Commissioner for Competition Policy

Neil Kinnock, Vice-President of the European Commission

Michaele Schreyer, European Commissioner for the Budget

A major conference on the EU financial perspective will take place on 25-26 May at the seat of the European Economic and Social Committee (rue Ravenstein, 2, B-1000 Brussels)

Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, will make the opening speech.

Representatives of civil society in the EU will then debate with key representatives of the European Commission and the other EU institutions what the main priorities underlying the EU financial perspective should be.

Thethree main strands of the EU financial perspective will be discussed during parallel workshops:

Sustainable development

The area of freedom, security and justice and EU citizenship

The EU as a global player

Discussions during the Conference will also focus on:

Are the political priorities identified by the recent Commission Communication the right ones and do they take adequate account of implementation experiences to date?

How can partnerships involving representatives of civil society be developed so that the priorities are implemented effectively?

Are the policy instruments chosen to implement the priorities feasible?

A provisional agenda for the conference can be obtained from the EESC website by clicking here

For more details, please contact :

Vasco de Oliveira or Tristan Macdonald, at the EESC Press Office.

Rue Ravenstein 2, B-1000 Bruxelles

Tel.: 02 546 9396/9586; Mobile: 0475 753 202

e-mail :

Website:

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 222 members. Its members are appointed by the Council.
EESC on the move:
The EESC is moving to its new headquarters located along the rue Belliard in the heart of the European quarter during the month of June.