The coronavirus outbreak will have a deep and negative impact on the achievement of the SDGs and the objectives of the European Green Deal. For this reason, the EESC insists on the need to face this urgent threat as soon as possible and focus our recovery efforts without undue delay on the SDGs and the Green Deal. The Sustainable Europe Investment Plan (SEIP) is the first comprehensive policy measure to fulfil very ambitious targets of carbon neutrality until 2050 in line with the EU Green Deal. While saluting the Green Deal's ambitions, the EESC regrets the lack of consistency with the budgetary allocation within the next Multiannual Financial Framework and also expresses its doubts about the effectiveness of climate mainstreaming in all EU programmes and calls on the Member States to involve civil society organisations in pushing for climate-proof EU spending.
Download — stanovisko EHSV: European Green Deal Investment Plan
The annual Union work programme for European standardisation for 2020 identifies priorities for European standardisation. The EESC agrees with the Commission that standardisation is crucial to the strategy for the single market and that it should be constantly updated. Moreover, the EESC considers that there is an urgent need to modernise the European standardisation system to meet global challenges with an innovative process of cooperation.
Download — stanovisko EHSV: The annual Union work programme for European standardisation for 2020
This exploratory opinion of the incoming Croatian Presidency should concentrate on the question, how the achievements and advantages of the Single Market could be better presented to the citizens and businesses in order to ensure their support in further efforts towards developing a comprehensive and long-term Single Market strategy for the future.
Download — stanovisko EHSV: A Single Market for All (Exploratory opinion at the request of the Croatian presidency)
The transition to a low-carbon economy is the EU's goal and obligation and the EU committed itself to implement this transition in a socially just and cost-effective manner. It is thus important to examine all the feasible ways of financing climate neutrality, and possibly find new and innovative financing models in the near future.
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Financing the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy and the Challenges in Financing Climate Change Adaptation (Exploratory opinion at the request of the Croatian presidency)
Download — stanovisko EHSV: The effects of campaigns on participation in political decision-making (Exploratory opinion at the request of the Croatian presidency)
The outbreak of COVID-19 is having a significant negative impact on the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector. The EESC therefore welcomes the European Commission's proposal, which it considers very necessary, and asks the European institutions to adopt it without delay.
However, the Committee believes that certain additional measures should be adopted, either in this legislative proposal or in other complementary ones.
Download — COVID-19 Measures / Fisheries and aquaculture
At its 21st special meeting on 12-19 November 2018, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted its Recommendation 18-02 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, which must be implemented into Union law as soon as possible.
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna
Download — stanovisko EHSV: European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in the year 2021
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Sustainable funding for lifelong learning and development of skills, in the context of a shortage of skilled labour (Exploratory opinion at the request of the Croatian presidency)
The EU's demographic situation requires a holistic approach that embraces social and economic policies, active labour market and cohesion policies, policies supporting families, measures for ageing workers etc. The best answer to the labour drain related to internal migration is the social and economic upward convergence of Member States. The COVID-19 crisis will strongly affect the policies on demographic challenges. We need urgent measures to protect citizens from the negative effects of this crisis.
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Demographic challenges in the EU in light of economic and development inequalities (Exploratory opinion at the request of the Croatian presidency)
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Proposal amending Directive (EU) 2016/797 and Directive (EU) 2016/798, as regards the extension of their transposition period
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Enable managing bodies or competent authorities to provide flexibility in respect of the levying of port infrastructure charges in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak constitutes a grave emergency and represents a situation unprecedented since the end of the Second World War. Especially for the most deprived, the crisis risks disrupting the support provided by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD).
Introduction of specific measures for addressing the COVID-19 crisis
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Financial aid for Member States and countries still negotiating the terms of their accession to the EU which are seriously affected by a major public health emergency
The EESC is concerned to note the euro area's economic downturn and the gradual end to a fall in unemployment, wedded to the persistent higher incidence of risk factors affecting economic performance. It is the European Green Deal that the EESC sees as the backbone of the future EU and euro-area economic configuration – the potential start of a fundamental change and a turning point. If managed successfully, it could move Europe up a gear economically and socially; if not, its failure could fatally jeopardise the integrity of the EU.
Download — stanovisko EHSV: Euro area economic policy 2020
The EESC welcomes the approach taken by the annual growth strategy for 2020, based on the four key pillars that are the environment, productivity, stability and fairness and also welcomes the inclusion of the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. It also welcomes the fact that social rights are highlighted in the 2020 growth strategy and hopes that special attention will be given to the gender issue. Long term investment in education, training and skills development and to boost research and innovation, with increased funds earmarked for them, is absolutely crucial and decisive for the EU competitiveness. The greatest priority of all is to restore sustainable growth, above all in the weakest countries and regions. Finally, the EESC agrees on the need to strengthen the stability and resilience of the financial system and tighten the rules governing the financial markets.
The fleet segments with the highest dependency on Eastern Baltic cod encompass more than 300 vessels in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. The closure will have a strong negative impact in certain regions and coastal communities.
