2006 Euro-Mediterranean Summit

EURO-MEDITERRANEAN SUMMIT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCILS AND SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS The 1995 Barcelona Declaration called on the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) to keep in regular contact with its Mediterranean counterparts and equivalent organisations in order to help increase understanding of major issues covered by the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. In cooperation with national Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions from EU countries and our Mediterranean partners, the EESC therefore helps to organise a Euro-Mediterranean Summit each year.
 
The Euro- Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions taking place in Slovenia this year is being hosted jointly by the Slovenian ESC and the EESC. The Summit's main aims are to:
 
  
·                analyse thoroughly a number of matters of common interest such as policy on young people, poverty and the situation of women in the Euro-Mediterranean region;
 
·                explain and raise awareness of EU policy, particularly European neighbourhood policy, in the Euro-Mediterranean region more effectively.
 
Preparatory meetings will be held by socio-occupational organisations (employers, workers, farmers etc.) on the first day of the Summit, with a view to strengthening relations between these organisations and the network of ESCs.
 
The Summit will bring together organised civil society representatives from the 25 EU countries and ten Mediterranean partner countries, as well as representatives from national, regional and international institutions.
 
PARTICIPANTS
 
Number: 150
 
Delegates
 
-      Members of national ESCs (EU and Mediterranean partner countries)
-      EESC members
-      Representatives of socio-occupational organisations from partner countries which do not have an ESC
-      Representatives of Slovenian civil society
 
Participants from institutions
 
-      Members of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
-      Representatives of the European Commission
-      Representatives of the European Parliament
-      Representatives of the Finnish Presidency
-      Representatives of the Committee of the Regions
-      Representatives of the EIB
-      Representatives of the Slovenian government
 
Other participants
 
-      Representatives of European and international socio-occupational organisations
-      Representatives of international organisations
 
Observers
 
-      Representatives of the diplomatic corps
-      Representatives of the candidate countries
-      Representatives of Mediterranean countries which are not part of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
 
 
Venue: Grand Union Hotel, Miklosiceva 1, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Date: 15–17 November 2006
Working languages: FR-EN-ES-IT-SL-ARABIC
·                discuss key issues for the future of the Mediterranean region from the perspective of organised civil society and to make recommendations to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership's political bodies;