16.12.2006   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 309/71


Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Council Directive on control of San José Scale

COM(2006) 123 final — 2006/0040 (CNS)

(2006/C 309/15)

On 2 May 2006 the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Articles 37 and 94 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the abovementioned proposal.

The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 24 May 2006. The rapporteur was Mr Siecker.

At its 428th plenary session, held on 5 and 6 July 2006 (meeting of 5 July), the European Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 166 votes to two with one abstention.

1.   Introduction

1.1

The purpose of this proposal is to undertake a codification of Council Directive 69/466/EEC of 8 December 1969 on control of San José Scale. The new Directive will supersede the various acts incorporated in it; this proposal fully preserves the content of the acts being codified and hence does no more than bring them together with only such formal amendments as are required by the codification exercise itself.

2.   General comments

2.1

The Committee regards it as very useful to have all the texts integrated into one Directive. In the context of a People's Europe, the Committee, like the Commission, attaches great importance to simplifying and clarifying Community law so as to make it clearer and more accessible to ordinary citizens, thus giving them new opportunities and the chance to make use of the specific rights it gives them.

2.2

It has been ensured that this compilation of provisions contains no changes of substance and serves only the purpose of presenting Community law in a clear and transparent way. The Committee expresses its total support for this objective and, in the light of these guarantees, welcomes the proposal.

Brussels, 5 July 2006.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Anne-Marie SIGMUND