ICFTU ONLINE...

September 28 - October 4 1998

Brussels, September 24, 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): The following is a selection of next week's events. This selection has been prepared for the information of subscribers to the ICFTU's OnLine service, and does not necessarily reflect the position of the ICFTU.

Monday September 28 to Wednesday September 30: Austria is hosting a conference on "Multi-ethnicity and multi-culturalism in Central and Eastern Europe and in South Eastern Europe". The Conference, held in Vienna, is part of a series of events organised by the Austrian presidency of the European Council of Ministers to highlight the fate of the gypsies and other minority social groups in the region.

Tuesday September 29 and Wednesday September 30: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) working group on migration meets in Paris.

Tuesday September 29 and Wednesday September 30: The Caricom (Caribbean Community) Parliamentary Assembly for Youth meets in the Bahamas. The agenda includes regional policies, independence and priorities for the young.

Wednesday September 30: The European Commission is holding negotiations with the member countries of the ACP group (Africa-Carribbean-Pacific) to define the new treaty to replace the Lomé Convention, due to expire in 2000.

Wednesday September 30 to Friday October 2: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is organising a regional seminar in the Czech Republic on trade and the environment in Central and Eastern Europe. 25 environment ministers from the countries in the region are due to attend.

Thursday October 1: The International Day of Older Persons. The United Nations will use the opportunity to launch the International Year of Older Persons in 1999. The aim is to promote the independence, participation, health and dignity of older persons.

Thursday October 1: The free trade agreement signed by Mexico and Chile last March comes into force.

Thursday October 1: A preferential trade agreement between the Adean Pact countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) and the Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) comes into force. The agreement is the first step towards a region-wide free trade zone.

Thursday October 1 and Friday October 2: The ICFTU Youth Committee meets in Brussels.

Saturday October 3 and Sunday October 4: Latvia holds its parliamentary elections.

Sunday October 4: Presidential and general elections are to be held in Brazil.

Sources: These forecasts have been prepared in cooperation with Future Events News Service in London (FENS), 8-10 Wiseton Rd, London SW17 7EE. Tel.:++44 181 672 31 91. Http://www.hubcom.com/fens

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