In a plenary debate on the future of EU trade policy in a changing global reality, the EESC stressed that open, fair, inclusive and sustainable trade is the only trade that will deliver a resilient recovery and bring prosperity to business and people. It also acknowledged the key role of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)…
Building energy efficiency is key for Europe’s future and both public and private sectors could contribute to energy savings, EESC hearing concludes. The EU must step up its efforts to promote energy efficiency and achieve those energy savings that are instrumental in the fight against the energy crisis and climate change. This is the main…
The EESC consumers and environment category says it has made significant contributions to the protection of consumer rights and the environment in Europe. It has championed topics such as the regulation of consumer over-indebtedness, planned obsolescence and the circular economy. Fair and just climate mitigation and adaptation must take centre stage of the Category’s activities in…
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has highlighted what it says is the need for a common European framework for migration management that is effective, focusses on both external borders and legal migration pathways and is in line with EU’s values. The EESC welcomes the existing monitoring done by the Commission as this provides the…
In two reports on draft EU legislation on artificial intelligence, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for an all-out ban on social scoring in the EU and for a complaint and redress mechanism for people who have suffered harm from an AI system. At its September plenary, the EESC welcomed the proposed Artificial…
The following statement was issued by Christa Schweng, president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Dimitris Dimitriadis, president of the EESC section for External Relations We express deep concern for the events that followed the US and NATO retreat from Afghanistan, mourn the brutal loss of human lives and call for urgent…
A hearing organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) discussed opportunities and challenges in the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans in the various Member States, revealing that civil society is still far from being effectively involved in the process. There were calls for improved consultations in the upcoming implementing phase,…
According to the EESC, the Commission’s Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights is both timely and necessary to thwart the threat of inequalities deepening across Europe in the aftermath of the pandemic. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has welcomed the European Commission’s Action Plan on the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR)…
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the proposed new package of EU cybersecurity measures but points to weaknesses in addressing Europe’s huge cyber skills gap. Critical entities also need streamlining, simplification and clearer application guidelines, in the EESC’s view. Overall, the EESC hails the new EU cybersecurity strategy as a positive step towards…
At the request of the EU Portuguese Presidency, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has evaluated the achievements of the past 25 years of EU railway policy and singled out areas for improvement, tapping into the potential of the European Year of Rail 2021. The railway sector still needs to make progress at political, regulatory and…
