President ECOSOC blij met prioriteiten Sloveneens voorzitterschap (en)

President Dimitris Dimitriadis welcomes the Slovenian Presidency's priorities at EESC plenary session

Yesterday EESC President Dimitris Dimitriadis welcomed Mrs Cotman,Slovenian Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, to the January 2008 plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) by emphasizing that Slovenia is the first country among all the new Member States to assume the Presidency of the Council.

He also stressed that the EESC will work closely to the Presidency and mentioned that four opinions have already been requested by Slovenian Ministers. He affirmed also that the Committee shares the majority of the Slovenian Presidency's priorities.Mrs Marjeta Cotman, pointed out the five major priorities of the Slovenian Presidency which are the successful ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the launch and implementation of the new Lisbon Strategy cycle, climate change and energy issues, the European perspective of Western Balkans and the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

Mrs Cotman stated that "it is a great honour to appear before the assembly which will very shortly celebrate 50 years of its existence". She expressed her wish to work in close cooperation with the EESC and to see the Slovene Presidency becoming "the Presidency with a human face".

Apart from the five major priorities of the Slovenian Presidency, Mrs Cotman also described the Presidency's plans to address challenges in the field of labour and social affairs such as the status of youth in the labour market, response to demographic changes and provision of equal opportunities.

Regarding the ratification of the Reform Treaty, the Minister highlighted the critical role of the EESC "to bring the Treaty closer to the citizens". On the Lisbon Strategy, the Presidency will continue with the process as it already brings results. Discussing the European perspective of western Balkans, Mrs Cotman described this region as "an integral part of Europe, and the European perspective is of key importance for its development".

The Minister's speech was followed by questions and comments by the Committee's members. Group I member Filip Hamro-Drotz (Finland) emphasized the importance of the upcoming Summits with Latin American countries and Russia, as well as the EESC's work in strengthening cooperation with Western Balkans. Group II member Metka Roksandic (Slovenia) pointed out the importance of the successful functioning of the labour market in the EU. Group III member Jahier Luca (Italy) commented on the Presidency's first priority, the ratification of the Reform Treaty, mentioning that there is not much time until 2009 and that it is vital to have an open dialogue with citizens.