Entrants may only be nominated by an EESC member , national economic and social council or by a European civil society organisation or network.

This Convention shall be open for signature at Aarhus (Denmark) on 25 June 1998, and thereafter at United Nations Headquarters in New York until 21 December 1998, by States' members of the Economic Commission for Europe as well as States having consultative status with the Economic Commission for Europe pursuant to paragraphs 8 and 11 of Economic and Social Council Resolution 36 (IV) of 28 March 1947, and by regional economic integration organisations constituted by sovereign States' membe ...[+++]rs of the Economic Commission for Europe to which their Member States have transferred competence over matters governed by this Convention, including the competence to enter into treaties in respect of these matters.

Eastward enlargement and the EU's Mediterranean strategy; the role of civil society in the political and economic challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean region; social cohesion in the enlargement countries, the Euro-Mediterranean region and the new neighbouring countries: three key themes that are to discussed during the forthcoming joint conference that has been organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Consiglio Nazionale dell'Economia e del Lavoro - Italy's Economic ...[+++] and Social Council (CNEL) entitled "the role of civil society in Euro-Mediterranean Policy after enlargement".

The EESC, the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) and the Economic and Social Council of Greece (OKE), have together prepared this year's Summit. The EESC is a permanent member of the preparatory group for Euro-Mediterranean summits and contributes inter alia, by drafting an information report.

It brought together representatives of economic and social councils or the economic and social partners where no council exists from most of the Euro-Med partnership countries including Israel, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.

The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows: Belgium Elio di RUPO Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Economic Affairs and Telecommunications Denmark Svend AUKEN Minister for the Environment and Energy Germany Lorenz SCHOMERUS State Secretary for Economic Affairs Greece Anastasios PEPONIS Minister for Industry, Energy and T e c h n o l o g y Spain Juan Manuel EGUIAGARAY Minister for Industry and Energy France Franck BOROTRA Minister for Industry, Post and Telecommunications Ireland Michael LOWRY Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications Italy Alberto CLO' Minister for Industry and ...[+++]Foreign Trade Luxembourg Robert GOEBBELS Minister for Economic Affairs, Public Works and Energy Netherlands Lambert J. HANRATH Deputy Permanent Representative Austria Judith GEBETSROITHNER Deputy Permanent Representative Portugal Daniel BESSA Minister for the Economy José PENEDOS State Secretary for Energy Finland Jan STORE Deputy Permanent Representative Sweden Jane CEDERQVIST Assistant State Secretary for Industry and Trade United Kingdom Timothy EGGAR Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Minister for Industry and Energy) Commission Christos PAPOUTSIS Member INTERNAL MARKET IN ELECTRICITY - PRESIDENCY CONCLUSIONS The Council held a discussion on the proposal for a Directive on the common rules for the internal electricity market, at the close of which the Presidency drew the following conclusions: "In accordance with the amended proposals for Directives concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and in gas, having consulted the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee and in accordance with the conclusions adopted by the Energy Councils on 30 November 1992, 29 November 1994 and 1 June 1995, the Presidency: 1. stresses the importance of achieving the internal market in electricity in terms of the competitiveness of the industry and economic development; 2. considers that the nego ...