Opinions with Employers' Group members as rapporteur/co-rapporteur/rapporteur-general

The Communication on “No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred” is a response to growing hatred against ethnic minorities. A number of policies, including in the area of security, digital, education, culture and sport, will see reinforced action. The EESC calls for a more comprehensive partnership with CSOs, awareness-raising campaigns, and for politicians to avoid language promoting hated. It calls on better prosecution of hate crimes, reporting mechanism, and training for law enforcement agencies to handle such cases properly, with due respect for the victims. It calls for increased action both off- and online, and that online platforms prevent their algorithms from amplifying hate. 

In this opinion, the EESC

• highlights the need for proper information, education and communication on vaccination and underlines the role of the school healthcare system and parents in this endeavour.

• Calls for strong efforts to fight misinformation and disinformation by acquiring science-based evidence, as well as by spreading fact-based information through different channels, including social media.

• emphasises the need for gender equality in cancer prevention measures and calls for providing HPV vaccination to all girls and boys of a certain age , to intensify communication on the availability of HPV vaccination for boys and to gather and publish information on the vaccination rates of both boys and girls in various Member States.

European Works Councils (EWCs) are information and consultation bodies which ensure that employees are involved in decisions related to transnational issues. They concern companies with over 1,000 employees operating in at least two EU or European Economic Area countries. The current Directive 2009/38/EC sets out the procedures for establishing EWCs and informing and consulting them on transnational matters. The proposed revision aims to strengthen the role of EWCs by facilitating their creation, promoting more meaningful information and consultation, and ensuring they have the necessary capacity to carry out their work. It also seeks to improve the gender balance of EWCs.