ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE: RESULTS OF APRIL PLENARY SESSION.

Key Opinions adopted include:- Youth policy (Rapporteur: Mrs Hassett, Ireland, Various Interests): This own-initiative Opinion from makes the case for more funding for the EU's youth policy initiatives. The ESC has responded favourably to a Commission White Paper on youth policy that sets out a new framework for European co-operation. It calls on the Commission to develop specific actions and allocate the necessary resources for their implementation without delay and to ensure that the open approach of consultation and policy formulation will continue in future youth policy development. Addressing the plenary session the rapporteur nonetheless remarked that it was "not the role of the Commission to discuss the re-modelling of an NGO - the European Youth Forum". She added that young people needed to be involved at all levels, and their participation was not properly dealt with in the proposal.- Preventing household over-indebtedness (Rapporteur: Ataide Ferreira, Portugal, Various Interests). This report underscores the fundamental importance of harmonising a number of legal aspects which have a direct impact in this area. Most countries in the European Union have devised and implemented national systems for preventing and dealing with a variety of problems connected with over-indebtedness situations.- Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in EU island regions (Rapporteur: Mr Vassilaras, Greece, Various Interests): The ESC believes that action to help island SMEs should have a dual aim: safeguarding and modernising island SME structures and promoting and encouraging island SMEs. In addition to the measures to develop policies on small businesses, the Committee drew the Commission's attention to the need to introduce an integrated policy which would positively discriminate in favour of the outermost island regions and islands.- What direction for the EU's forestry sector post-enlargement? (rapporteur: Mr Kallio, Finland, Various Interests): the report argues that even after enlargement, there is a good case for the EU to continue to apply the subsidiarity principle in this sector since forests differ in their characteristics, both in the current EU and in the candidate countries. Mr Kallio noted the increase in people making use of the recreational possibilities offered by forests. He also remarked that the forthcoming enlargement of the Union would increase the EU's wealth of forest and woodland by around 25%.- A common policy on...