Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on: - the 'Proposal for a Council Directive on the extension of Council Directive 97/81/EC of 15 December 1997, on the Framework Agreement on part-time work concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC, to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland', and - the 'Proposal for a Council Directive on the extension of Council Directive 97/80/EC of 15 December 1997, on the burden of proof in cases of discrimination based on sex to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'
C 157/64 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 5. 98 Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on: — the ‘Proposal for a Council Directive on the extension of Council Directive 97/81/EC of 15 December 1997, on the Framework Agreement on part-time work concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC, to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’, and — the ‘Proposal for a Council Directive on the extension of Council Directive 97/80/EC of 15 December 1997, on the burden of proof in cases of discrimination based on sex to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ (98/C 157/15) On 17 March 1998 the Council, acting under Article 100 of the EC Treaty, asked the Economic and Social Committee for an opinion on the above-mentioned proposals. The Committee asked the Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs to prepare its work on the matter. In the course of its proceedings the Committee appointed Miss Maddocks as rapporteur-general for the opinion (Rules 20 and 50 of the Committee’s Rules of Procedure). The Committee adopted the opinion set out below at its 353rd plenary session (meeting of 25 March 1998) by 52 votes to one, with one abstention. In keeping with the approach adopted in its previous Opinion (1) on the extension to the United Kingdom of the European Works Council and Parental Leave Directives, the Economic and Social Committee welcomes the UK accession to the social provisions of the new Treaty and consequently endorses the two Commission proposals. Brussels, 25 March 1998. The President of the Economic and Social Committee Tom JENKINS (1) OJ C 19, 21. 1. 1998