EESC kiest Mario Sepi als nieuwe Voorzitter (en)

EN

CES/ 08/90

22 October 2008

On 22 October 2008, the EESC elected a new presidency for the 2008-2010 mandate. The new President is Mr Mario Sepi, Italy, from the EESC's Employees' Group. The two new Vice-Presidents are Ms Irini Pari, Greece, from the EESC's employers' group, who will be responsible for communication, and Mr Seppo Kallio, Finland, from the Committee's Various Interests Group, who will be responsible for budgetary matters.

As the newly elected President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Mr Sepi declared "rights and solidarity to guide globalisation" as the key theme of his mandate. Mr Sepi, who became an EESC member in 1995, has a long background as an active trade unionist, both in Italy and at the European level. One of his key opinions for the Committee concerned trends, structures and the institutional mechanisms of the international capital markets. He has also written important opinions on competition policy, European industrial policy and monetary union and the Lisbon strategy. The main priorities of his presidency will be the new Lisbon strategy after 2010 and affirming the rules of the new European Treaty, which proposes more rights and more participation for civil society. The key element of Mr Sepi's programme is to consolidate the European social model also as a tool for competitiveness. The result of the vote: yes: 177, no: 2, abstentions: 7.

For more details, pictures and CV, please consult:

http://www.eesc.europa.eu/organisation/president/Sepi/presentation/index-en.asp

Ms Pari has been a member of the EESC since 1998. She is a former vice-president of the Employers Group and a former member of the Social Section of the Committee, always supporting European integration and consensus building. Ms Pari has been the Permanent Delegate of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises in Brussels since 1995 and a member of the European Social Dialogue Committee. She has worked as an advisor to the European Commission, for both the Secretariat-General and the Directorate-General for Competition. Born in Kinshasa, Ms Pari is married with two children. She studied Political Science and International Relations at the University of Panteion in Athens and European Studies at the Institut d’Etudes Européennes at the ULB in Brussels. The result of the vote: yes: 178, no: 0, abstentions: 8.

For more details, pictures and CV, please consult:

http://www.eesc.europa.eu/organisation/vicepresidents/index_en.asp

Mr Kallio has been a member of the EESC since 1995. He is president of the EESC’s Farmers’ Category. In Finland, he is Director for International Affairs of the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest owners (MTK). He has been a member of the Finnish Governmental Development Policy Committee since 2004, Political Secretary to the Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (1991-1994) and also Vice-President of the European Movement in Finland. He was Vice-President (1986-1991) of the Finnish Committee for Economic Development Policy. Born in Koski, Finland, Mr Kallio is married with two children. He studied Agricultural Economics at Helsinki University. The result of the vote: yes: 177, no: 5, abstentions 6.

For more details, pictures and CV, please consult:

http://www.eesc.europa.eu/organisation/vicepresidents/index_en.asp

Background information

The EESC’s presidency rotates among its three groups (employers, employees and various interests). The President is elected for a two-year term. The Vice-Presidents are elected from the two other groups.