Press Summaries

  • In the opinion, the EESC

    • shows that reforms and investments in key social areas (particularly those that foster human capital) can have a positive impact on economic growth, productivity and competitiveness, while can reduce major future costs;
    • stresses the need for a more efficient use of financial resources, including public-private partnerships, and to discuss establishing an EU financial capacity by 2026 for common priorities like social investment and cyclical stabilisation, supported by EU-wide guidelines and funding;
    • insists that strengthening the social aspect of the European Semester is vital for overseeing economic and social policies in the EU. By aligning it with the European Pillar of Social Rights, we can better coordinate amongst Member States, improve transparency, and monitor national plans effectively;

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  • The EESC:

    • supports the Commission's efforts to strengthen the EU wind industry and promote wind power development in the bloc since there is growing pressure from international competitors such as China and since a strong EU wind industry is vital for environmental, economic and social well-being. For this, the grid infrastructure needs to be significantly expanded, modernised and digitalised and the corresponding storage infrastructure must be created. Wind Power should be seen as critical infrastructure, with all corresponding privileges and due diligence obligations.
  • The EESC:

    • supports the new regulation proposed by the Commission, which aims to improve passenger rights and ensure travellers receive better information. All parts of this new regulation (package travel, passenger rights and multimodal journeys) should be considered complementary to each other;
    • is concerned about citizens' general lack of awareness when it comes to their rights and about problems they encounter trying to exercise these rights, and therefore believes information to be the most useful and effective tool available to travellers so that they know their rights and can exercise them if they are breached;
  • The EESC:

    • welcomes and fully supports the Commission’s goal of simplifying cross-border social security and healthcare coordination through digitalisation;

     

    •  calls for the immediate development of a comprehensive action plan to digitalise social security coordination with a bottom-up approach, while highlighting the importance of considering the needs of social security institutions and stakeholders, including individuals, employers, companies and social economy entities;

     

    •  believes that we will not be able to achieve our goal of removing obstacles to free movement solely by digitalising social security until the reform of Regulation 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems is finalised.

  • In the opinion, the EESC:

    • calls for a strategy for civil dialogue, resulting in an action plan, and potentially an interinstitutional agreement among EU institutions for improved civil dialogue facilitated by the EESC;

     

    • advocates for making Article 11 TEU effective by strengthening actors in the different EU institutions dealing with civil dialogue and create an annual civil dialogue scoreboard tracing the EU's engagement with civil society, and an accreditation mechanism for CSOs;

     

    • reiterates that the EESC should be at the centre of civil society consultation and civil dialogue in general and calls for a stronger role for the Committee in participatory democracy, including being a potential hub for citizen panels.
  • In the opinion, the EESC's ECO section

    • recommends that the European Central Bank closely monitoring of economic risks, with careful contingency planning to ensure credible inflation outlooks, and advises the ECB to be prepared to adjust policies if inflation deviates from targets;
    • calls for concrete engagement with national parliaments, regional authorities, civil society, and social partners to reform the EU's macroeconomic governance, and emphasises the importance of taking ownership of these reforms at national level through effective dialogue;
    • and urges a balanced approach to phasing out crisis support, which continues to assist vulnerable groups impacted by high energy costs and inflation, and calls for a permanent framework of means-tested support in some countries, and emphasises the need for a detailed discussion on social impacts;

  • In the opinion, the EESC's ECO section

    • proposes that the preferred option for taxation of employee income is in the employer's country of residence. This approach aims to simplify taxation for employees and potentially be attractive for employers;
    • emphasises that teleworkers should not suffer any discriminatory tax treatment compared to cross-border workers who perform their work in the country of the employer. This recommendation aims to ensure fairness in taxation across different work arrangements;
    • suggests the implementation of a revenue sharing mechanism. This mechanism would likely require cooperation and agreements between countries to distribute tax revenues appropriately;

  • In the opinion, the EESC's REX section

    • stresses that investment in innovation, skills development and industrial capacities are indispensable means of both strengthening productivity and competitiveness and decreasing critical dependencies;
    • calls for making full use of trade and investment agreements, as well as starting new negotiations with new potential partners in order to diversify supply chains and expand product markets;
    • calls for the involvement of EU businesses and other relevant civil society organisations in the implementation of the economic security strategy, highlighting the importance of synergies between Member States;
    • highlights that energy and raw material security is crucial for all industries and thus key to the EU’s overall economic security
  • The EESC:

    • welcomes the SME relief package as an attempt to put SMEs at the core of European legislation and at the heart of European strategies, discussions, and actions in support of competitiveness. The next Commission should make this a priority and give it continuity.
    • believes that the Commission must ensure that the EU SME Envoy has an entrepreneurial background and a well-defined set of competencies and responsibilities in the upcoming 2024-2029 mandate, and that the position is accompanied by adequate resources in terms of staff and financial support.
  • The EESC:

    • supports the development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an alternative to court proceedings when consumers seek redress for the damage traders may cause them, alongside accessible judicial proceedings and enforcement of consumer rights by national authorities;
    • underlines the importance of encouraging Member States and industries to set up such schemes and of encouraging traders, including SMEs, to join them voluntarily and calls on the Commission to review the progress of ADR schemes three years after the implementation of the proposed Directive;