This afternoon will meet at its 456th plenary session of the EESC representatives of the Swedish Presidency and European Union President Jose Manuel Barroso with various organizations in employment and vocational training, to discuss the crisis.

The main topic of the 456th plenary session will be employment and training in the context of the recent crisis. After the opening speech by President Barroso, Presidents of National Economic and Social Councils, EESC groups and other key stakeholders will contribute their statements to the debate. Among the speakers will be, Bruno Coquet, President of the EU Employment Committee, Jorma Karppinen, Director of Eurofund and John Martin, Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD.

EESC Employers' Group called on European banks and EU authorities to restore business confidence.

In addition, Aviana Maria Bulgarelli, Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) and Eva Uddén Sonnegård, State Secretary in the Swedish Ministry of Employment, on behalf of the Swedish Presidency, will also give their opinions.

Other key opinions to be debated at this plenary:

• the role of flexicurity in restructurisation, presented by rapporteur Valerio Salvatore (Group II, Employees, Italy),
• an opinion on the conclusions of the Larosière Group by rapporteur Lars Nyberg (Group II, Employees, Sweden).
• report "How to tackle environmental and energy challenges in the Mediterranean"  by Edgardo Iozia (Group II, Employees, Italy).

Location: Charlemagne building (European Commission), room S 3, B - 1040 Brussels.
Date: 30 September 2009, 2.30 p.m.