Wallström pleit voor sterkere samenwerking tussen Economisch-Sociaal Comité en Commissie (en)

Margot Wallström: the Commission is ready
to enhance EESC's role

Commissioner Wallström proposed a strong culture of cooperation for the relationship between the Commission and the EESC, a main topic of her speech at her first visit to the EESC plenary session in her new role as Vice-President of the European Commission. She stressed the Committee's important role, notably in consolidating the Strategy for Growth and Employment. The Committee, she further insisted, can play "a decisive role in targeting European messages to specific audiences" and is an important player in the EU's emerging overall communication strategy. She proposed to organise summits of civil society and called upon the EESC to help breathe life into the concept of participatory democracy.

Developing a culture of cooperation between the two institutions

Intervening during the 416 ^th plenary session of the EESC, Ms Wallström expressed her wish for a "culture of cooperation" based on a regular dialogue. The EESC must have greater impact on Commission proposals, ideas and laws. This enhanced input must be enshrined in the new cooperation protocol, currently in negotiation between the two institutions. She also emphasised the good cooperation in terms of the strategy for growth and jobs and the responsibility of the mandate the Committee received from the European Council in that matter (see press release n° 37/2005 ).

Connecting with the citizen

Ms Wallström elaborated on the role she thinks the EESC can play in the "communicating Europe" initiative and particularly in conveying European messages to citizens in an understandable manner.

The EESC, Ms Wallström observed, can connect European political issues back into the daily life of citizens and is therefore a vital part of the European network. The Committee can also feed back the views of citizens to the EU level, the EESC being the Union's "ears" into companies and households.

Ms Wallström emphasised that the new communications strategy which the Commission has promised to deliver to the June European Council meeting will very much focus on synergies between institutions and, above all, on action. Civil society, she argued, must be actively involved in EU policy making and public communication. As a bridge between civil society and the institutions, the EESC is an important mediator. Ms Wallström also proposed to organise regular summits of civil society , held parallel to European Council meetings. Here, she argued, the Committee could play a "unique role".

Ms Wallström called upon the Committee to breathe life into the concept of participatory democracy, as enshrined in the constitutional treaty. The EESC, for example, could help the Commission to develop the details of the envisaged "European petition", where one million citizens can ask the Commission to take action.

In the ensuing discussion, Members stated that the Committee is "ready, willing and able" to help the Union more effectively communicate Europe in the language of its citizens.

In her responses, Margot Wallström called the EESC a "natural partner to broaden the Commission's network". She called upon the Committee members to defend their vision of the European project.

Closing the debate, EESC President Anne-Marie Sigmund thanked Ms Wallström, highlighting the two institutions' converging views, notably culture as an element of a European identity, the support of the Commission in the Committees' work concerning the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs, and the role of the EESC in organising civil society summits. She also recalled the ongoing work of the Committee on "Communicating Europe", under the direction of Vice-President Roger Briesch, and the developing cooperation with European civil society networks in the new Liaison Group (see related press releases ).

Full text of the speech of Commissioner Wallström
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