EESC debate the future of "Europa" with Valery Giscard d'Estaing, former President of the French Republic and award the Civil Society Prize to Roma inclusion projects

Met dank overgenomen van Europees Economisch en Sociaal Comité (EESC) i, gepubliceerd op maandag 13 oktober 2014.
  • On Wednesday 15 October (2.40 p.m.), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will have the great honour of hosting a debate with Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, former President of the French Republic on the future of Europe. He will address the EESC plenary session at 2.40 p.m. to present his views and plans for a more integrated Europe, as explained in his book "Europa: the last chance for Europe", prefaced by former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

Please register here to attend: press@eesc.europa.eu

  • On Thursday 16 October (11 a.m.), EESC President Henri Malosse will award the winners at the Grand Finale of the 2014 Civil Society Prize Competition. The long wait is almost over. The winners - from Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Greece - will discover their ranking and receive their prize from the EESC president, at the award ceremony. The Centre for Sustainable Development (ETP) from Slovakia, Reverend Archimandrite Athinagoras Loukataris from Greece and IQ Roma servis from the Czech Republic will share the total prize of EUR 30 000. The 2014 Civil Society Prize rewards initiatives carried out by civil society organisations and individuals and aimed at improving the economic and social inclusion of Roma. More.

Follow the Award Ceremony live on 16 October at 11.a.m. here

Please register for the press point: press@eesc.europa.eu

EESC Plenary Session - 15 and 16 October 2014

Charlemagne building (European Commission), room De Gasperi (2nd floor), Brussels

Watch the plenary session here - The full agenda is available here

  • EESC Plenary will also host two debates:

Wednesday 15 October at 4 p.m. - Review of the Europe 2020 Strategy

Opinion: Taking stock of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

Rapporteur: Mr Palmieri

This opinion is a formal response to the Commission referral and part of the mid-term assessment requested by the Italian Presidency of the EU. It shows that so far, the Europe 2020 strategy has proven to be insufficient in terms of social cohesion between Member States, competitiveness and employment. The EESC deems it necessary to devise a new framework for this strategy, which strengthens the model of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It should comprise cross-cutting policies for workers, private businesses and social economy enterprises, and sectoral policies. In the presence of: Antonio Marzano, President of the Italian National Council for Economic Affairs and Labour; Marcello Messori, Director of the Luiss School of European Political Economy; Philippe Pochet, General Director of the European Trade Union Institute; and Conny Reuter, Secretary General of the Solidar NGO network and Co-Chair of the Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks.

Thursday 16 October at 9.15 a.m. - The European agricultural model

The debate will question the path followed by the current EU agricultural model and discuss ways to make it a role model for others. Feeding the world is the biggest challenge of our times, and agricultural growth can be crucial for improving the standard of living of rural populations. In the presence of: Czeslaw Adam Siekierski, Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

Other opinions to be discussed and put to the vote during the plenary session:

  • Conclusions from the social business project (Coordinator: Ms Rodert) More.
  • Response to the European Citizen's Initiative "Water and sanitation are a human right! Water is a public good, not a commodity" (Rapporteur: Ms Le Nouail Marlière) More.
  • Women in science (Rapporteur: Ms Vareikytė) More.
  • Services to the family (Rapporteur: Ms Ouin) More.
  • Impact of business services in industry (Rapporteur: Mr van Iersel; Co-rapporteur: Mr Leo) More.
  • Remotely piloted aircrafts systems (Rapporteur: Mr Simons) More.
  • The situation of Ukrainian civil society in the context of the European aspirations of Ukraine (Rapporteur: Mr Adamczyk) More.
  • The economic and social situation of young people in the Euromed region (Rapporteur: Mr Narro) More.

For more information, please contact:

EESC Press Unit

E-mail: press@eesc.europa.eu

Caroline Alibert-Deprez - Tel: +32 2 546 9406 / +32 475 75 32 02

Siana Glouharova - Tel: + 32 2 546 9276 / +32 473 53 40 02