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EN Official Journal of the European Union C 10/1

Resolution of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Natural disasters’

(2008/C 10/01)

At the meeting of its Bureau on 25 September 2007, the European Economic and Social Committee decided to express its shock at the fires that raged in Greece during August, and to affirm its solidarity with the victims and with civil society.

At its plenary session on 26 and 27 September (meeting of 26 September 2007), the European Economic and Social Committee adopted the following resolution nem con with 192 votes in favour and one abstention.

Following various natural disasters in several Member States, the Committee discussed the need for the existing European civil protection mechanism to be equipped with sufficient resources to carry out the task of coordinating intervention in disasters occurring both within and beyond Europe.

In the light of recent events, the Committee wishes to restate the position it adopted in opinion CESE 1491/2005 (NAT/283), and urges the Commission in particular to ensure that the Community Civil Protection Mechanism operates effectively, by taking the following specific steps:

1. Requiring all the Member States to comply with Community civil protection standards, by means of an appropriate legislative instrument.

2. Equipping the Community Mechanism with the following tools: — a satellite communications system, — dedicated assistance teams for the Mechanism, — a system for identifying available teams and equipment in the Union, — regionalised operational bases, with full coordination between them, — appropriate technical training for teams.

3. Adopting European legislation on civil and criminal liability, so that those causing such disasters can be prosecuted and punished.
EN Official Journal of the European Union C 13/1

Resolution of the European Economic and Social Committee on the current refugee crisis

(2016/C 013/01)

The EESC calls for immediate responsible and collective European action to address the massive arrival of refugees

The current unacceptable situation of asylum seekers calls for a robust strategy at EU level in cooperation with Member States, social partners and other stakeholders to immediately address the multiple issues refugees are facing.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis endured by so many refugees is of great concern to our Committee as every day men, women and children are risking their lives to reach Europe. The scale of the current refugee crisis is unprecedented and a number of Member States are disproportionately affected by it. The challenging situation requires European Member States to show solidarity both towards people fleeing war, persecution, conflict and poverty and towards each other. Ensuring safe entry and welcoming them is the responsibility for all Member States and is part of our fundamental European values.

The EESC expresses its solidarity and profoundly regrets the loss of lives and the harsh conditions faced by the refugees on their way to safety. We call on civil society organisations, especially the ones represented in the EESC, to do whatever possible to help welcome and integrate refugees. The EESC praises the commitment of people working in local public administrations, non-governmental organisations and volunteers active in grassroots initiatives all around Europe providing assistance to people in need.

Today the European Union needs to act as a real Union and adopt a unified asylum law starting with a revision of the Dublin Regulation. It is time for governments and politicians to follow the lead of citizens, associations, as well as many municipalities that are mobilizing much more and faster than our governments and the EU Institutions. The EESC regrets that the Council was not yet able to take the necessary decision in this pressing humanitarian crisis. Therefore the EESC urges the European Council to hold an extraordinary summit before the end of the month in order to reach an agreement on concreate measures and actions, including a fair quota scheme.

The EESC is very concerned about the current undermining of the Schengen agreement and of free movement, as it is one of the fundamental achievements benefitting EU citizens.

It is crucial to develop immediate measures also to address the root causes of the current refugee flows. The EU needs to work with countries of origin and transit on these issues and the EESC welcomes the human right-based approach foreseen by the Commission for this cooperation. Lastly, the EESC underlines the necessity of including civil society in the dialogue with third countries.
Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures"

(1999/C 293/04)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the list of Commission proposals pending at 1 May 1999 for which the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam entails a change of legal basis and/or procedure (SEC(1999) 581 final);

having regard to the Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures [COM(1996) 331 final - 96/0182 (COD) - formerly 96/0182 (SYN)](1);

having regard to the decision taken by the Council, announced in its letter of 3 May 1999, to consult the Committee of the Regions on this matter under Article 265, first paragraph, and Article 71 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

having regard to the decision of its Bureau of 7 May 1999 to appoint Mr Weingartner and Mr Lebrun as rapporteurs-general to draw up an opinion on this subject, in accordance with Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure of the COR;

having regard to the previous opinion on the Proposal for a Council Directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures [COM(96) 331 final - 96/0182 (SYN)] (CdR 364/96 fin), adopted at its plenary session on 16 January 1997 (rapporteurs: Mr Lebrun and Mr Weingartner)(2),

adopted the following opinion unanimously at its 29th plenary session on 2 and 3 June 1999 (meeting of 3 June).

1. The Committee of the Regions confirms its opinion on the Proposal for a Council Directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures, adopted at its plenary session on 16 January 1997.

2. The Committee of the Regions strongly regrets that the Council has not followed the procedure laid down in Article 265 of the Treaty whereby any time-limit set may not be less than one month from the date on which the COR president receives notification to that effect. The Council's letter is dated 3 May 1999. It was registered at the Committee of the Regions on 5 May, and the time limit set by the Council was 3 June 1999.

3. The Committee of the Regions strongly regrets that in its common position the Council has not taken up the essential aspects and general comments of the COR's previous opinion.

4. The Committee welcomes the fact that the European Parliament expressly mentioned in its opinion that the Committee should be consulted. It regrets, however, that the European Parliament approved the Council's common position under Article 251(2) of the Treaty despite the fact that the Committee had not had an opportunity to express its views.

The Committee would point out that this may be an infringement of an essential procedural requirement within the meaning of Article 230 of the Treaty, enabling any natural or legal person to bring annulment proceedings under the fourth paragraph of Article 230 of the Treaty.

Brussels, 3 June 1999.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER

(1) OJ C 59, 29.2.1997, p. 9.

(2) OJ C 116, 14.4.1997, p. 58.
22.

underlines moreover that the accession process, in its present form, is generally imposed from above and is not necessarily subject to the democratic control of the parliaments or regional and local authorities of the candidate countries, throughout the accession process, and that neither does it directly involve citizens, political parties, civil society or local and regional authorities. This state of affairs means that: a) The quicker pace of modernisation and democratisation imposed on candidate countries has not always been matched by full support on the part of public opinion. b) The changes have not always gone hand-in-hand with a process of administrative decentralisation, which however acts as a catalyst for generating both democratisation and consensus. c) The internal political and social reforms required by enlargement policy are applied to administrative structures, both national and regional or local, which are generally weak, and which should be able to benefit from the know-how of other European administrations, and respect for diversity and subsidiarity;
5.

Active integration (the second pillar) is the most important element of active inclusion. Active inclusion relies on the ‘Work First Principle’: every citizen without work should be integrated into work or education. The first (adequate and sufficient income support) and third pillar (social services of high quality) are supporting elements. The fourth pillar (social participation) is the last resort in the policy of active inclusion. Citizens who are not able to work should be helped with income and other measures to participate in society. We agree with the Commission that these pillars form an integrated, comprehensive approach. Each authority should therefore strive for the right balance between social welfare, social services, community services as well as financial and non-financial incentives to work.
35.

in anticipation of demographic change, feels that it is desirable and necessary to put in place and develop conditions for telemedicine (9); this can help to improve healthcare and support the elderly in living independently, enjoying an enhanced quality of life and integrating into society, so that it can benefit from their accumulated experience and knowledge. In addition, more widespread use of ICT might help to enhance existing ICT-based health services and facilitate the establishment of new products and services, thereby helping to improve people's overall health, give them better access to public health services, and generate long-term savings in the costs of social security systems;
32.

draws attention to the problems that arise from aid being dependent on a one-sided, top-down system, which is the most common approach used by even the European Commission to deliver aid. Real partnership and involvement of the local level and organisations representing it (i.e. associations of local and regional authorities) are absent, which means that funding does not have an effect at local level. At the same time the effects of aid provided by NGOs, which is generally local, do not necessarily extend to public authorities, local and regional authorities and institutional mechanisms, which further hampers the long-term impact and effectiveness of aid;
31.

emphasises that the open method of coordination — like any other European social policy method — should be developed on the basis of Member States' own social policy needs, which are best understood in practice at local and regional level. Since the Member States and the circumstances of their regions vary widely, introducing quantitative social policy objectives may be problematic. Open coordination at European level should be improved primarily by applying it to certain key questions, improving the effectiveness of reporting and research work, and increasing the role played by the specific knowledge of the local and regional level in implementing and developing coordinating processes. This could significantly enhance the impact and visibility of the method and thus the quality of European social policy — which is an important element of the European integration project. Links between the open coordination method and local and regional government are still too weak at the moment;
64.

also believes that the Commission must subsequently make the compendium available to the competent national, regional and local authorities; such a compendium could contain tried-and-tested approaches relating to the following areas: — Children: earliest possible inclusion in early learning activities with comprehensive promotion of language skills and diagnosis of language problems, adapted to individual needs, as well participation in speech therapy programmes if necessary. — Children and young people: language support measures during compulsory schooling at all levels of school, if necessary providing temporary language classes for children and young people with serious deficits in the language of instruction until they have caught up; setting up of networks of unpaid assistants to support children and young people in school and training situations. — Parents: provision of systematic and targeted information about the opportunities of the education system through multilingual information brochures issued by the relevant education authorities; expansion of language learning opportunities for migrant parents, in particular, given their crucial role, creating opportunities for mothers who do not have adequate knowledge of their children's' language of instruction to improve their language skills; considering the possibility of employing and training multilingual volunteers to help parents overcome linguistic, cultural and social disadvantages. — Teachers: detailed consideration of issues relevant to migration in teacher training programmes (basic and further training); encouraging people from a migrant background to take up teacher training so that they can provide an example to children and young people from a migrant background of the opportunities provided by education. — Schools: provision of targeted support for schools with a high proportion of migrants, especially by allowing smaller class sizes, providing support to teachers through youth workers, organisation of after-school homework supervision, and creation of tutoring systems using older schoolchildren and students who may or may not come from a migrant background; where appropriate, development of school-specific intercultural profiles and demonstration of these in school life, with a particular focus on activity groups based on migrant languages. — Youth and social workers: these should develop a stronger connection with schools in order to look after children and young people from families with a migrant background who are also socio-economically disadvantaged.
36.

is pleased to note that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia still meets the political criteria and also achieved further progress in 2010; it would however point out that further efforts need to be undertaken and a general willingness to carry out reforms is needed in most areas of the political criteria, such as independence of justice, public administration reform and freedom of expression in the media; also considers that a key element for bringing FYROM and the EU closer is the maintenance of good neighbourly relations, especially at cross-border regional and local level. This includes a negotiated, mutually accepted solution to the name issue under the aegis of the United Nations;
14.

The CoR notes that there are significant practical differences between the Member States in terms of the standards they use for road traffic rules, road signs, markings and guidelines for infrastructure design. At the same time, cross-border traffic between Member States – both freight traffic and business-related and recreational passenger traffic – continues to increase year on year. The CoR believes that both road safety and freedom of movement within the EU would be improved if the roads in the various Member States were designed and equipped as far as possible according to the same principles and rules, so that the appearance of the road is clear and recognisable to all road users, even when they cross borders between Member States. Any measures should be based on best practice and scope allowed for adapting solutions to the local situation.
71.

urges the EU institutions, Member States and local and regional authorities to take effective action against the shifting of waste to sub-standard treatment plants within or outside the EU, to improve the competitiveness of EU recycling industries across the entire value chain, to stimulate innovation in resource efficiency and design of recyclable products, to provide economic incentives or new market-based instruments for recycling and promoting secondary raw materials, and to optimise the development and use of end-of-waste criteria and quality criteria for recycled materials, while recognising here the progress made by the European Commission in relation to end-of-waste criteria; the CoR calls for special attention to be paid to products containing raw materials which are in increasingly short supply, particularly rare-earth elements;
Participation 1. Participation under the Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis shall be open to public and private bodies established at national, regional or local level in the countries referred to in Article 16(1) and providing in those countries: (a) microfinance for persons and micro-enterprises; (b) financing for social enterprises. 2. To reach out to the final beneficiaries and create competitive, viable micro-enterprises, public and private bodies that carry out activities as referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall cooperate closely with organisations representing the interests of the final beneficiaries of microcredit and with organisations, in particular those supported by the ESF, which provide mentoring and training programmes to such final beneficiaries. 3. Public and private bodies that carry out activities as referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall adhere to high standards concerning governance, management and customer protection in line with the principles of the European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit Provision and shall seek to prevent persons and undertakings from becoming over-indebted.

Participation 1. Participation under the Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis shall be open to public and private bodies established at national, regional or local level in the countries referred to in Article 16(1) and providing in those countries: (a) microfinance for persons and micro-enterprises; (b) financing for social enterprises. 2. To reach out to the final beneficiaries and create competitive, viable micro-enterprises, public and private bodies that carry out activities as referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall cooperate closely with organisations representing the interests of the final beneficiaries of microcredit and with organisations, in particular those supported by the ESF, which provide mentoring and training programmes to such final beneficiaries. 3. Public and private bodies that carry out activities as referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall adhere to high standards concerning governance, management and customer protection in line with the principles of the European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit Provision and shall seek to prevent persons and undertakings over-indebted.
65.

underlines the urgent need to ensure that there are well-trained people with the skills required to work in the knowledge industry, and that the industry is an attractive place to work, given the difficulties in filling posts in strategic areas for the future, such as research and science, engineering, health, and mathematics (10). The skills and knowledge of workers should be updated on an ongoing basis, and training should focus on the needs of new sectors and new technologies, not just in the interests of the industry, but also to help workers who lose their jobs to adapt quickly to new sectors and technologies;
8.

considers that the European Commission and the other institutions should be encouraged to involve regions and local authorities more actively when designing legislation, assessing its impacts or devising ways to implement European policies and objectives. Indeed, most of the new proposals seek to amend or add to the existing EU legislation. As part of an ongoing — and necessary — process to keep legislation fit for purpose, it is important, when framing new proposals, to give due consideration to the valuable experience of local and regional authorities in the application of EU rules;
With regard to digital service infrastructures, building blocks shall take priority over other digital service infrastructures, since the former are a pre-condition for the later. Digital service infrastructures should, inter alia, create European added value and meet proven needs. They should be sufficiently mature for deployment, technically as well as operationally as proven in particular through successful piloting. They should be based on a concrete sustainability plan to ensure the long-term operation of core service platforms beyond the CEF.Financial assistance under this Regulation should therefore wherever possible be phased out over time and funding from sources other than the CEF should be mobilised.

With regard to digital service infrastructures, building blocks and digital services infrastructures with elements that can be used by other service providers shall take priority over other digital service infrastructures, since the former are provides a pre-condition basis for the later to build on. Digital service infrastructures should, inter alia, create European added value and meet proven needs. They should be sufficiently mature for deployment, technically as well as operationally as proven in particular through successful piloting. They should be based on a concretesustainability plan to ensure the long-term operation of core service platforms beyond the CEF. Financial assistance under this Regulation should therefore wherever possible be phased out over time and funding from sources other than the CEF should be mobilised.