The EESC opinion looks into how industry practices influence public health and contribute to the rise of non-communicable diseases, aiming to identify barriers to effective policies and propose stronger preventive measures.
This opinion intends to discuss the relationship between water resilience, digitalisation and the green transition. It aims to propose recommendations to address the different challenges involving water, digitalisation and decarbonisation from an industrial perspective.
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Water resilience and the twin transitions: Industrial approaches addressing the relationship between water, digitalisation and decarbonisation
The EESC assesses how the EU’s sustainable finance framework can be made more robust and fit for purpose given its importance for the EU’s economic, social and climate objectives. The EESC affirms that simplification should not come at the cost of ambition. While administrative streamlining is needed, the focus should be on how requirements can be implemented more effectively, not on weakening standards. The EU’s regulatory strength and predictability are important competitive advantages that should be preserved amid growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Given the significance of the provision of public goods for the well-being of the citizens, the EESC believes that particular attention should be paid to providing these European public goods (EPGs) and identifying them in the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) post-2027.
Special attention must be given to ‘functional EPGs’ – those linked to Article 3 TEU – that can ensure the normal functioning of the EU: the completion of the single market; the completion of the economic and monetary union; economic, social and territorial cohesion; EU open strategic autonomy (e.g. the joint EU health policy, food security, the EU energy union); defence and security; EU research and development; and the rule of law.
In this Opinion, the EESC warns that democracy, the rule of law and European values face growing threats from both external actors, such as third-country governments and tech companies, and internal ones, including some Member States, extremist parties and 'uncivil' society. It calls for stronger EU action through stricter enforcement of rule of law standards and conditionality, protection of civic space, and simpler, fairer funding for civil society, starting with the next multiannual financial framework (MFF). The EESC urges embedding democracy protection in enlargement policy and supporting candidate countries to build resilience. The Opinion also highlights the fight against disinformation and propaganda, promoting media literacy, reducing digital dependence on third countries, and reinforcing initiatives such as EuroStack and East StratCom to strengthen democratic resilience.
