The EESC laments the severity of the money laundering phenomenon in the EU. Current European legislation is largely inadequate in the face of coordination failures and national divergences, and therefore strongly supports the Anti Money Laundering legislative package, in particular the creation and design of the new European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) with direct supervisory powers.
The own-initiative opinion aims to contribute to the Farm to Fork Strategy objective to stimulate sustainable food processing, wholesale, retail, hospitality and food services practices by providing the views and experience from organised civil society and stakeholders from across the food supply chain and by highlighting producers' good practices to increase the availability and affordability of healthy, sustainable food options.
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Aligning food business strategies and operations with the SDGs for a sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery (own-initiative opinion)
In the rapid transformation process of the global industrial landscape, digitisation has assumed a fundamental strategic function. It now covers the entire cycle of the value chain of products and services and involves both large enterprises as well as small enterprises and micro enterprises. In this process, the need for flexibility and speed of adaptation often lead to the need to outsource parts of the production process to professionals who often have the position of "freelancers".
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Non-standard employment and platform cooperatives in the digital transformation of industry (own-initiative opinion)
In this opinion, the EESC underlines that volunteering involves millions of citizens in the European Union, acting out of solidarity for others, individually or within organised structures (both informal and formal). This movement requires systematic and thoughtful support, at both EU and Member State level, because its impact on social development is many times greater than the potential cost. The activity of volunteers has real economic value; in many social spheres volunteers are necessary to ensure the basic needs of citizens, including their safety; volunteers play a crucial role in implementing all the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and volunteers are present in every social and age group. The EESC therefore thinks it is unreasonable to limit EU-level and EU-funded volunteer support programmes to just young people.
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Volunteers – Citizens building the future of Europe (own-initiative opinion)
Recent years have been marked by a persistent global decline in democratic values and the rule of law. While many differences remain and have to be acknowledged, North America has unquestionably been our closest historical ally in championing democracy and its values across the world. The arrival of the new administration in the US has provided a new momentum and a unique opportunity to build the new transatlantic partnership and jointly manage not only the internal, but also global challenges, especially with regard to powers which do not share the same values, such as China or Russia. President Biden's initiative to organise a Summit for Democracy at a time when autocracies are on the offensive is only the first step in building a strong international democratic alliance.
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: A strong transatlantic partnership based on the common values of democracy and the rule of law, key in tackling global challenges and preserving international order (own-initiative opinion)
The EESC endorses the Commission proposal and agrees that action must be taken to bolster the instruments safeguarding the EU market and its businesses. This will entail plugging a gap in the legislative framework as regards competition, trade and public procurement with a view to guaranteeing fair competition which is not distorted by foreign subsidies. Some aspects of the intrinsically complex and far-reaching legislative mechanism need to be further refined.
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Foreign subsidies distorting the internal market
This opinion deals with the new Strategy for the future of Schengen issued by the European Commission last June. The Strategy is part of a broader effort to update and strengthen Schengen, which also includes a proposal to amend the regulation on the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism. In this opinion, the EESC welcomes the Commission's Strategy towards a fully functioning and resilient Schengen area and reaffirms its full support for the principles underlying Schengen cooperation. Nevertheless the opinion also advances some concerns, such as: reports of fundamental rights violations at the EU's external borders; the semi-permanent reintroduction of border controls at parts of Member States internal borders and the negative economic and social impact this has had on businesses, and in particular frontier workers, border communities and Euroregions.
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Communication on a Strategy for the future of Schengen and Amendment of the Regulation establishing the Schengen Evaluation Mechanism
