Ensuring adequate social protection is key to decent work. To secure a sustainable future for the EU with a strong economy and social dimension, in this opinion the EESC advocates improving social protection for all workers, including those in atypical or new forms of work, including under comparable conditions, for the self-employed, to provide sufficient benefits for all. This would help reduce inequalities, as well as the gender gap in social protection. While this is primarily a national responsibility, the EESC urges the EU to support Member States in addressing protection gaps for atypical work, without undermining the flexibility it offers to workers and employers. Finally, the EESC encourages Member States to share best practices and calls on the Commission to promote mutual learning with social partner organisations.
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: Pro-worker AI: levers for harnessing the potential and mitigating the risks of AI in connection with employment and labour market policies
The European Council of December 2023 discussed the EU enlargement policy, including the stabilisation and association process and next steps in this respect. The enlargement policy will be one of the top priorities for the next coming years. One of the most important aspects of the enlargement process will be the cohesion policy and the structural funds.
The need for a structural policy to be applied following enlargement is justified both by the external necessity of reducing the gap between the applicant countries and the EU average and by the internal necessity of combating increasing disparities amongst and within accession countries.
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: The role of cohesion policy in upcoming rounds of EU enlargement
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, health has become a central topic on the geopolitical stage. The EU Global Health Strategy, launched at the end of 2022, shows the political path forward, guiding the EU’s role in advancing health for all beyond 2023. This own-initiative opinion will examine four key dimensions: strategic autonomy in health; structural trends in health and related sectors; health coordination; and security, defence and the mitigation of major shocks.
