The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
Resilient and Efficient Energy for a Future-proof and Secure Economy
Sofia Balkan Palace
Starting at 13:30 local time, Brussels+1
Sofia
Bulgaria
The objective of the conference was to build on the European Economic Security Strategy towards forward-looking strategic planning based on the assessment of threats, risks and vulnerabilities. In this respect, the focus was on energy supply at stable, predictable and affordable prices which comes from sustainable sources, as a cornerstone for European industrial competitiveness. The need for a sustainable energy mix and energy systems, including solutions for storage of energy from renewable sources, are amongst the main factors that will determine European competitiveness in the years to come.
Lessons learned from the first years of the implementation of the programming period 2021-2027
Debate
Online event
Belgium
Public debate on 9th Cohesion report: Lessons learned from the first years of the implementation of the programming period 2021-2027, in the framework of the ECO section meeting.
With this debate, the EESC wants to contribute to reflections on the foundations of a just transition framework on the agri-food sector to achieve a sustainable food system and move forward with concrete recommendations, for example, looking at the skills, capacity and mental support needed, or identifying some key policy areas and legal leverage points that could be triggered to start a just food transition for the EU.
Given the link between agriculture and rural areas and farmers with food production, the recommendations of this opinion will also have a positive impact on rural development.
The EU-Japan DAG hosted a workshop: "Promoting human rights and environmental due diligence together" on 9 April 2024 following a Joint Dialogue with Civil Society in Tokyo on 8 April. The workshop's objective was to foster dialogue between EU and Japan civil society representatives, focusing on best practices and a solution-oriented approach in an area of importance to the implementation of the TSD-chapter of the EU-Japan EPA. Human rights and environmental due diligence are topics of common interest, as the EU and Japan share values and want to secure resilient supply chains so as to do business in a sustainable way.
The EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held its 17th meeting on 5 April 2024 at the EESC in Brussels, Belgium. It is a platform established within the institutional framework of the EU‑Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), enabling representatives of both the EU and the Serbian civil society to monitor the country's accession negotiations, discuss issues of common interest and point out concerns to be tackled on the Serbian path towards the European Union.
The EESC´s Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) is organising a hearing on low-carbon and renewable fuels in the maritime and aviation sector.
The conference will explore how the EU as a whole and Member States individually can work towards effective sustainable civil dialogue and participatory democracy.
The 15th meeting of the EU Domestic Advisory Group under the EU-Ukraine DCFTA will take place on 22 March 2024. Click on the programme tab to consult the topics on the agenda.