while supporting the goal of transparent lobbying, strongly disagrees with the proposed focus. It urges a EU-wide approach that minimises burdens, safeguards civil society and strengthens existing measures for all lobbying activities.
calls for harmonising electoral processes across Member States to ensure inclusivity, accessibility for people with disabilities, better inclusion of young voters and resilience against potential manipulation;
emphasises the importance of bolstering citizen engagement through innovative formats. It advocates reforms to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) and proposes establishing an EU-wide framework for effective participation.
emphasises the need for alignment with the OECD's Pillar Two minimum tax rules. This would ensure consistency and avoid confusion for businesses operating across borders;
raises concerns about potential complexity due to the existence of multiple tax systems running concurrently (BEFIT/TP, Pillar Two, and national rules). The EESC suggests clarifying how these systems interact to avoid additional burdens for businesses;
underscores careful assessment of BEFIT's impact on compliance costs, data minimization practices, and the compatibility of national innovation incentives with BEFIT;
recommends that the Commission issue clear and transparent guidance on how to apply the proposed conditionality package and also reiterates the importance of ensuring that the EU's focus on stability and geopolitical interests does not come at the expense of the rule of law and democracy;
asks the Commission to support candidate and potential candidate countries in evaluating both the advantages and drawbacks of early market integration, identifying those that are adversely affected and implementing customised mitigation measures;
reiterates the importance of regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations throughout the EU accession process and welcomes the focus in the Commission's proposal on developing the Common Regional Market (CRM).
recognises foresight as important in supporting decision-making processes and notes the efforts at EU level to assign foresight a strategic institutional role and to consider it in the EU decision-making. The EESC calls for foresight to remain high in the agenda of the new Commission.
calls for greater involvement for the EESC, as the voice of organised civil society and social partners, to enhance the EU's analysis and foresight capacities and help pinpoint trends and possible solutions in a transformative society
considers a revision of the Package Travel Directive (PTD) both timely and necessary, and in general welcomes the revised Directive, which aims to codify voucher schemes and provide clear information and legal guarantees to travellers, while giving more flexibility to travel businesses;
welcomes the removal of the overlap between packages and Linked Travel Arrangements (LTAs). This means that when different types of travel services are purchased at the same time for the same trip or holiday and from the same point of sale, this will be treated as a package;
urges the European Commission to approach the UK Government about the possibility of negotiating an ambitious reciprocal youth mobility partnership, that should set out conditions for research, study, training and youth exchange;
strongly supports the creation of a structured engagement between the EU, UK-level authorities and the devolved nations, with robust involvement of youth, including youth work and non-formal learning, to strengthen youth civil society dialogue and cooperation;
strongly recommends that structured inclusion of youth in existing engagement structures be established on both sides;
calls for the establishment of a centralised and accessible information hub for young entrepreneurs, who continue to be impacted by Brexit, experiencing uncertainty around the market access, notably by the stringent new rules governing the movement of goods and services across the Channel.
The EESC believes that river information services (RIS) in Europe not only now, but also in the future, should pursue three objectives: safety, sustainability, and enabling integration with different modes of transport.
The RIS should therefore be able to adapt to changing challenges and opportunities, while at the same time being compatible with the relevant systems in the various modes of transport and be user-friendly.
warns European authorities of the urgent need to assess the risks of addiction that social media and digital platforms create in vulnerable groups of our societies and to regulate the commercial use of Artificial Intelligence and algorithms.
suggests that the EU Institutions and all the Member States engage in a multi-factor strategy that reinforces all the previous measures to fight disinformation and prevents the use of digital platforms by organised fake identities as well as the in adoption of instruments that foster cooperation between national, regional and local news media in Europe.
shows that reforms and investments in key social areas (particularly those that foster human capital) can have a positive impact on economic growth, productivity and competitiveness, while can reduce major future costs;
stresses the need for a more efficient use of financial resources, including public-private partnerships, and to discuss establishing an EU financial capacity by 2026 for common priorities like social investment and cyclical stabilisation, supported by EU-wide guidelines and funding;
insists that strengthening the social aspect of the European Semester is vital for overseeing economic and social policies in the EU. By aligning it with the European Pillar of Social Rights, we can better coordinate amongst Member States, improve transparency, and monitor national plans effectively;
supports the Commission's efforts to strengthen the EU wind industry and promote wind power development in the bloc since there is growing pressure from international competitors such as China and since a strong EU wind industry is vital for environmental, economic and social well-being. For this, the grid infrastructure needs to be significantly expanded, modernised and digitalised and the corresponding storage infrastructure must be created. Wind Power should be seen as critical infrastructure, with all corresponding privileges and due diligence obligations.
