18. 8. 86 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 207/27 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 
1408/71 on the application of social-security schemes to employed persons, to self-employed 
persons and to members of their families moving within the Community and Regulation 
(EEC) No 574/72 laying down the procedure for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 
(86/C 207/09) 
On 25 April 1986, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under 
Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the abovementioned 
proposal. 
The Section for Social Questions, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on 
the subject, adopted its opinion on 15 May 1986 in the light of the report by Mr Pearson. 
At its 237th plenary session (meeting of 21 May 1986) the Economic and Social Committee adopted 
the following opinion by a majority in favour, with one vote against and one abstention. 
1. The Committee notes that it gave an opinion (OJ No 
C 344 of 31 December 1985) on the Commission's 
proposed amendments to Council Regulation (EEC) No 
1408/71, as they affect the application of social-security 
schemes to employed, to self-employed persons and to 
members of their families moving within the Community, 
these amendments being due to operating experience and 
current needs. 
2. The Committee welcomes the current proposal and 
finds the amendments to be important, being in parallel to 
those referred to above. They concern social-security 
schemes involving those Community citizens in employ­
ment or self employment simultaneously in the territory of 
two or more Member States. It finds the precise terms of 
implementation to be highly technical and complicated but 
approves the proposals in principle: it cannot comment 
adequately on the detailed elements as it would normally 
do, due to the very short time available. 
3. The Committee recognizes that the amendments are 
necessary if there is not to be loss of statutory entitlement to benefits, and approves that they should be retrospectively 
operative from 1 January 1986. 
4. Whilst it is recognized that the shortcomings in the 
1408/71 Regulation were very unlikely to have been 
foreseen, the Committee agrees with the basic premise of 
the amendments whereby each altered Article and Annex of 
the Regulation tends to lean toward the advantage of a 
transfrontier worker in order that the concept of free 
movement of labour and professional expertise is main­
tained within the Community and the entitlement to 
statutory benefits recognized. 
5. The Committee points out that the amendments to 
the Social-Security Schemes Regulation are complicated 
and very detailed. It is pleased to learn that there will 
shortly be available a document setting out, in simple 
terms, the obligations and benefits incurred by citizens of 
Member States moving and working within the Com­
munity. The new guidelines should be made available 
through all the appropriate social-security offices in each 
Member State as soon as possible. 
Done at Brussels, 21 May 1986. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Gerd MUHR 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 
3626/82 on the implementation in the Community of the Convention on international trade in 
endangered species of wild fauna and flora 
(86/C 207/10) 
On 24 April 1986 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 
198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the abovementioned 
proposal. 
No C 207/28 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 8. 86 
The Economic and Social Committee decided to appoint Mr Zoli as rapporteur-general with the 
task of preparing its work on the subject. 
At its 237th plenary session (meeting of 22 May 1986) the Economic and Social Committee adopted 
the following opinion unanimously. 
General Comments 
1. The Committee approves the proposal to update 
Annex C of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3626/82 listing 
the species whose import is banned or strictly regulated. 
This involves transferring three species of butterfly from 
Part 1 to Part 2 of the Annex. 
2. The Commission considers that since these species 
are reared on ranches and are therefore not threatened with 
Done at Brussels, 22 May 1986. 
The Committee approves the draft regulation, but would 
make the following comments: 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Economic and Social Committee would stress 
that the Valoren programme is of vital importance to the 
less-favoured regions concerned. It also feels that the 
resulting experience will be of potential benefit to some 
developing countries. 
(>) OJ No C 358, 31. 12. 1985, p. 11. extinction, their import should no longer be banned but 
simply regulated. 
3. The Committee agrees with a policy which helps 
third-world countries to protect species threatened with 
extinction and give their economies an albeit minor boost, 
as an alternative to the senseless and environmentally-
damaging hunting of these species. 
4. The Committee hopes that similar measures can be 
adopted for other species which are seriously threatened 
with extinction. 
The Chairman 
of the Fxonomic and Social Committee 
Gerd MUHR 
1.2. The Committee believes it to be all the more 
imperative to promote a programme of this kind in view of 
the sliding price of oil and the dollar, which may 
temporarily make a policy to reduce the Community's 
dependence on imported energy appear less essential than it 
really is. 
1.3. The Committee is pleased to see that the Commis­
sion is treating the exploitation of indigenous energy 
potential in certain less-favoured regions as a priority target 
for funding under the new ERDE Regulation. These 
indigenous energies cause little damage to the environment 
and development seems particularly appropriate at the Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) instituting a Community programme 
for the development of certain less-favoured regions of the Community by exploiting 
indigenous energy potential (Valoren programme) (]) 
(86/C 207/11) 
On 3 February 1986 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under 
Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the abovementioned proposal 
for a Council Regulation (Valoren programme). 
The Section for Regional Development, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's 
work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 16 May 1986, in the light of the report by Mr Saiu. Prior 
to adopting its opinion, the Section took oral evidence from a representative of the Agence francaise 
pour la maitrise de l'energie (French Agency for the Management of Energy) and a representative of 
the Ente Nazionale Energie Alternative (Italian National Alternative Energies Board). 
At its 237th plenary session held on 21 and 22 May 1986 (meeting of 21 May 1986), the Economic 
and Social Committee unanimously adopted the following opinion.