The EESC annual communication event for civil society communicators, the Connecting EU Seminar, will this year delve into Europe’s ability to uphold its core values as its economic priorities shift and pressure on democratic trust and civic spaces intensifies – and on how civil society can defend them.
In the context of the work on the own-initiative opinion on the introduction of the digital euro, the ECO section decided to organise a public hearing bringing together experts from European and international institutions and various organised civil society.
The 5th annual All DAGs meeting will take place on Monday 2 July 2026 10:00-14:00 at the EESC premises in JDE51 including a networking lunch. This will be a great opportunity to gather all EU DAG Members and key EU institution stakeholders as one TSD community, to openly exchange ideas, challenges, and aspirations. The meeting will feature, among others, CTEO Denis Redonnet and INTA Chair Bernd Lange.
European Semester 2026: Driving competitiveness, sustainable growth and social resilience in a strategic budgetary framework
Location
online event
Belgium
The EESC’s European Semester Group is bringing together speakers from the EU institutions, organised civil society, the Member States and research institutes for its annual conferenceto be held on Tuesday 30 June 2026.
Meeting Venue: The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB)
Address: Dumlupınar Bulvarı No:252 (Eskişehir Yolu 9. Km.) 06530 /ANKARA
Ankara
Türkiye
The 43rd meeting of the EU–Türkiye Joint Consultative Committee brings together representatives of organised civil society to reinforce dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Türkiye. The opening session sets the political and institutional context through high-level interventions, including reflections on the role of civil society in a shifting geopolitical environment. The programme then focuses on SMEs, examining their resilience, competitiveness, and inclusive transformation in times of economic and global uncertainty. A second working session addresses digital transformation, innovation, and governance, with particular attention to the social and labour dimensions of technological change. The format combines policy presentations with practical testimonials, ensuring a balanced exchange between institutional perspectives and real-economy experience. Interactive discussions throughout the meeting foster stakeholder engagement and the sharing of diverse views
Volunteering plays a central role in building resilient and inclusive societies that are better prepared for existing and future challenges. This public hearing will gather institutional actors, civil society organisations, social partners, and experts to reflect on the role that volunteering can play in the “whole-of-society” approach to preparedness (called for by the European Commission). Discussions will feed into the related EESC Opinion (SOC/864).
Joint events of the Domestic Advisory Groups of the EU and six Central American countries were hosted by the European Unionin Brussels, on 15-16 June 2026.
This event will explore how sustainable food systems can advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in today’s geopolitical and environmental landscape. The meeting will focus on SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), both under review at the 2026 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
The 9th meeting of the CARIFORUM–EU Consultative Committee brought together civil society representatives from the Caribbean and the European Union to discuss key developments in CARIFORUM–EU relations. The agenda included updates on the implementation of the CARIFORUM–EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the provisional application of the OACPS–EU Samoa Agreement in relation to CARIFORUM, and discussions on the revision of the EPA review process.
