EESC President joins Petition Fashion and Health
ACTE President and Executive Secretary, Teo Romero and Fabio
Giovagnoli, and ETUF:TCL General Secretary Patrick Itschert
met in Brussels EESC President Mario Sepi and
representatives of DG Health and Consumers and Enterprise and Industry
to present the Petition and the positive results of the process of compilation.
Launched in September 2007, the Petition asks the European Commission
and Member States to take a series of measures aimed at reducing the health
risks for European workers and consumers, arising from dangerous substances
contained in fashion products. Over the last months, some 200
accessions have been compiled from public administrations, trade
unions, business organisations, technology centres, universities and cultural
institutions.
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee Mario
Sepi backed the initiative with his signature and EESC Rapporteur
on the European textile and footwear sector Claudio Cappellini
assured the Committee’s availability to closely collaborate with
ACTE in order to guarantee that the textile-fashion sector continues being
a key sector for the European industry.
Luis-Felipe Girao, Head of Unit “Textiles, Fashion and
Forest-based industries” of DG Enterprise and Industry, asked the ACTE
representatives to continuing raising awareness at local, regional and
national level in order to obtain the critical mass necessary to press
ahead with legislative projects at European level.
Finally, ACTE met representatives of the Directorate General of
Commissioner Meglena Kuneva (Consumer Protection) and committed
itself to provide them with the numerous studies conducted by technology
centres and laboratories, adherent members of the Association, that demonstrate
that an important part of textile-fashion products imported from Third
Countries contain substances harmful to the health of consumers and prohibited
by the European norms currently in force. Besides, ACTE proposed to promote
a meeting with these centres in Brussels and to collaborate in an education
programme on product consumption.
For further information on the Petition, please click
here
Link to the homepage of the EESC Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI)
