So just what do you do, Mr SG?

Secretary General in action

So there was I, chatting to Leila (see previous post) and I asked her what she thought of my blog. ‘It’s great,’ she said, ‘but I still don’t know what you do.’ OK, Leila, point taken. Below is what the job ad said. In addition, I would say that, like SGs to all representative bodies, I have to act as the go-between between our members and the administration. This is a delicate balancing act.

The secretary-general (M/F) manages the Secretariat of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) at the highest level. These duties are performed under the authority of the EESC president, representing the EESC bureau, and entail:

–         ensuring that decisions taken by the EESC assembly, bureau or president under the terms of the EESC Rules of Procedure are implemented correctly;

–         submitting to the bureau an organisational plan for the Secretariat that enables the bureau to ensure that the EESC and its internal bodies operate smoothly and help the members to carry out their duties, particularly when organising meetings and drawing up opinions;

–         leading and supervising the various directorates and other units which make up the Secretariat, particularly as regards administrative or organisational problems and staff-related issues;

–         ensuring that the cooperation agreement with the Committee of the Regions is implemented and operates smoothly, and resolving with the secretary-general of the aforementioned Committee service issues relating to the implementation of the said agreement;

–         exercising the powers granted by the Staff Regulations of the European Communities to the appointing authority in accordance with Article 72 of the EESC Rules of Procedure;

–         assisting the EESC president in relations with the institutions and other bodies of the European Union and with civil society organisations;

–         preparing the draft estimates of EESC revenue and expenditure in accordance with Article 74 of the EESC Rules of Procedure; and

–         using the powers granted to him by the EESC president to ensure that the EESC budget is implemented correctly.