51995AC0585

Opinion on the draft Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2062/94 establishing a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (95/C 236/13)

On 20 February 1995, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community on the draft Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2062/94 establishing a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

The Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on this subject, adopted its Opinion on 11 May 1991. The Single Rapporteur was Mr Etty.

At its 326th Plenary Session (meeting of 31 May 1995), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following Opinion unanimously.

1. The Committee refers to its earlier Opinion on the Council Regulation establishing a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work of 29 April 1992 (), and in particular to its observations pertaining to Article 8. It is pleased to find that the Commission now proposes that employers and workers from each Member State will be represented on the Administrative Board of the Agency.

2.1. This enlargement of the Administrative Board from 27 to 48 members will, obviously, put even higher pressure on the budget of the Agency which the Committee already considered too modest with a view to the wide variety of tasks of the Agency and the quality standards it should satisfy.

2.2. Consequently, the Committee thinks that the budget for the Agency must be increased.

3. The Committee cannot agree with the proposal in Article 8.6 of the present proposal which gives two votes to each Government representative on the Administrative Board and just one to the other members. This can only be accepted for decisions pertaining to budgetary matters. Otherwise each member of the Administrative Board should have one vote.

Done at Brussels, 31 May 1995.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Carlos FERRER

() OJ No C 169,6. 7. 1992.