By Martin Banks - 27th May 2008
The president of the European economic and social committee (EESC) admits the institution has a "visibility" problem.
But Dimitris Dimitriadis insists the EESC has a "vital role" to play in EU and international affairs.
Speaking at a news conference in parliament on Wednesday, he said it was not easy trying to represent civil society in 27 member states.
The Greek official also admitted it could do a better job in communicating the message it wants to get across to the public.
He said, "It has been said that institutions like the EESC, the committee of the regions and the parliament duplicate each other, but that is not so because we all do very different jobs.
"I admit that we could do more to sell ourselves and that we currently have a low visibility with the public.
"However, the EESC exists to represent all strands of civil society, including trade unions, employers and consumer groups and this is something we need to work on. We clearly need to be knocking on doors telling people who we are and what we do."
Low public awareness of the EESC continues to blight the Brussels-based body as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, something which former commission president Jacques Delors picked up on when he spoke at the same news conference.
He said, "It has been said that representatives of civil society are those who have failed to become government ministers. Certainly, the role of the EESC has not been sufficiently stressed over the years."
The first EESC plenary took placed on 19 May 1958 and the body is marking its anniversary with a special commemorative plenary session in parliament, during which young Europeans will be asked to launch a discussion on the challenges facing the EU and the EESC.
Among those attending the event is the Greek singer Nana Mouskouri, a former MEP and now a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.
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