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  • 22/04/2020

    CNEL - An appeal to Europe - A unique opportunity for a new identity

    The health emergency has made it clear that Europe does not have a unified position on public health and safety, and that the Union is unable to take firm decisions even on global problems that seriously affect the economy and social life of all Member States. In spite of the principles of participatory democracy stated by the European institutions, it is clear that it is difficult to put them into practice and that there is a lack of a clear framework defining the decision-making process and the appropriate legal instruments to follow it up. The current emergency, which is being addressed by a series of national measures without any coordination at European level and with serious potentially negative implications, may undermine the whole European project. The economic and social picture shows an unprecedented drama. The initial estimates show a picture of significant GDP decline and millions of unemployed people. Paradoxically, in CNEL's view, the situation that the European States are suddenly facing constitutes an opportunity, a historical necessity, to rethink Europe, preserving the basic spirit of the great unification project, but calling into question its institutional functioning and improving its ability to implement common strategies and effective policies. CNEL believes that the current serious crisis is forcing the Member States to devise a new common European area capable of responding quickly and consistently to the changing scenario that will increasingly characterize the globalized world, from an economic and social as well as health and environmental point of view.

  • 17/04/2020

    Covid-19 response: The EESC calls for strengthened solidarity to help the most deprived (SOC/651)

    The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) gave its backing to the Commission's proposal to amend the regulation governing the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) in a bid to ensure that Europe's most vulnerable citizens remain supported during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a position paper adopted on 15 April, the EESC says it is in favour of introducing specific measures aimed at protecting the most deprived from the disease and at ensuring that FEAD assistance still reaches them despite the crisis.

  • 06/04/2020

    The EU's response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the need for unprecedented solidarity amongst Member States

    Ahead of the Eurogroup meeting on 7 April 2020, the European Economic and Social Committee has adopted a declaration calling for timely and urgent responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with the public health concerns and the political, economic and social consequences of the crisis, the EESC Members, as representatives of organised civil society, are united in stressing the crucial need for joint and prompt action. The Committee underlines that this pandemic is a test of solidarity in political, financial, social and scientific terms for the European Union. In these difficult times, we must remember that we belong to a community of shared destiny. Only a European Union that upholds the principle of solidarity will be able to face the crisis, EESC Members stress. The EESC is convinced that in these times of big uncertainty only a comprehensive European Economic Recovery Plan will enable the EU to rebuild a more sustainable and resilient European economy. In this declaration, the EESC gives clear guidelines for a joint effort to cope with the effects of this pandemic that affects enterprises, workers, civil society and everyone’s well-being.

  • 17/03/2020

    EESC statement - COVID-19: Now, we are either a Union or we are nothing

    The COVID-19 outbreak has turned into a fast-moving emergency, figures and measures are constantly changing across Europe and the world, affecting all levels of society. Not since the end of the Second World War, has the global community faced such a dramatic crisis. No government in Europe or elsewhere can possibly think to solve such a pandemic alone. All the Member States must come together, to support each other and to coordinate a concerted action. A piecemeal approach by the individual Member States is a sure recipe for disaster. If we get this wrong, we may not have another opportunity to get it right.

  • 24/02/2020

    Shaping the EU agenda for disability rights 2020-2030

    The European Economic and Social Committee will hold a conference to shape the new EU agenda for disability rights 2020-2030 on 26 February 2020 in the EESC's premises. The aim of the conference is to present the EESC's proposal for the new strategy at a crucial moment in the EU landscape. With a new European Commission, a new European Parliament and a new budget programming period, it is now the perfect timing for a new Disability Strategy that fully takes into account the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD), the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The conference will tackle various areas of work of the EU, drawing attention to the crosscutting character of disability rights.

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