This Opinion was proposed in line with the Bureau's guidelines for Sibiu (and beyond). On the basis of an analysis of the internal implications for the EU and international trade related issues, the opinion will explore the impact of trade in enhancing the EU's own economic performance.
This additional opinion will complement and update the proposals made in the yearly EESC AGS opinion, produced under time pressure, to reinforce the Committee's impact throughout the entire annual semester cycle.
Against a background of rising poverty levels during the crisis, levels that remain high in many Member States, in particular among the unemployed, this own-initiative opinion would address the huge differences in levels of protection under national unemployment insurance systems within the EU.
Possible standards in this respect could be:
With the objective of promoting upward social convergence within the EU, the proposal for such standards is a concrete step towards effective implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights recently announced by the EU institutions in Gothenburg.
The report provides a general outline of the measures adopted by the European Commission in the field of competition policy and it summarises the broader working document on the action taken in 2018.