The Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation (SDBTR) aims to make rail travel more accessible by allowing passengers to book multi-operator journeys through a single digital platform. It focuses specifically on expanding digital access to rail tickets and fares and reduces ticketing fragmentation while ensuring passengers retain their rights throughout the entire journey.
The exploratory opinion examines how to balance the economic benefits of tourism with the protection of local communities by regulating short-term rentals, mitigating over-tourism, strengthening connectivity, and promoting sustainable, inclusive tourism across Europe.
This exploratory opinion on the request of the Cyprus Council presidency is focused on the implementation of the Startups and Scaleup Strategy, with particular emphasis on the forthcoming European Innovation Act (EIA), planned for 2026. The EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy seeks to make Europe the leading hub for launching and expanding global technology-driven companies, including deep tech ventures.
The upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU has asked the EESC to draw up an exploratory opinion aimed at providing insight and recommendation on the establishment of the European centre of clinical excellence for pharmaceuticals, with the view to serve as a unified, evidence-based authority issuing pharmacotherapy recommendations, guidelines, and protocols for a wide range of diseases.
The next Consumer Agenda 2025-2030, scheduled for adoption on 19 November 2025, will include a new action plan on consumers in the single market ensuring a balanced approach that protects consumers without overburdening companies with red tape.
The opinion assesses the revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation to evaluate its practical functioning and propose ways to simplify, broaden and clarify the EU State aid framework.
The aim of the opinion is to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of both conventional and organic farming in order to identify the policy levers that are most effective and most likely to attain food sufficiency in EU Member States, while ensuring the transition to more sustainable food systems.
The opinion contributes to the revision of the EU standardisation framework by underlining its strategic importance and advocating for an inclusive, competitive and socially balanced system.
The EESC welcomes the Proposal for a Regulation for the Digital Networks Act (DNA). Strategic analyses, including the Letta, Draghi and Niinistö reports, and the Commission Communication ‘A Competitiveness Compass for the EU’ also make the point that a cutting edge digital network infrastructure is critical for the future competitiveness of the EU economy, security and social welfare. The availability of high-quality, reliable and secure connectivity for end users and for key economic sectors is a must. Connectivity is not just access. It is about real-time data exchange, vital for the EU to be able to achieve its broader digital goals and for supporting a truly connected, prosperous society.
