Nominations to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Five persons representing employers, trade unions and civil society have been nominated by the prime minister to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), following consultation with the social partners through the MCESD.

Edwin Calleja is representing employers; Sylvia Sciberrras is representing the GRTU; Michael Parnis is representing the General Workers Union and Anna Maria Darmanin is representing UHM and CMTU. Grace Attard, NCW president, is representing civil society within the MCESD.

NCW is pleased to note that three of the five members on this consultative committee are women. Making women more visible is becoming a reality!

The EESC is a consultative body which consists of the various economic and social components of organised civil society. Its main task is to advise the three major institutions - the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission.

The EESC is a forum in which organisations and voluntary groups, representing a wide range of civil society develop common positions on EU policies through a consultation process which are then promoted at all levels, national, regional and local.

Members generally continue to carry out their professional activities in their countries of origin and only travel to Brussels when required to do so for their EESC work. They are not paid for their activities but they receive travel and meetings allowances.

Now that Malta is represented on the EESC, NCW urges Government to submit to Parliament the necessary amendments to the MCESD legislation that would include civil society representation to reflect the EESC composition and its recent extension of civil dialogue.