Det Europæiske Økonomiske og Sociale Udvalg
Water is a vital but an increasingly scarce resource. As the global population grows, so does the demand for water. The problem is global, but also concerns our continent: in summer 2022 Europe saw the most severe droughts in 500 years. Almost two thirds of European citizens consider water quality and/or quantity in their country to be a serious problem. Climate change will further affect the availability, quality and quantity of water. …
The EESC is organising a hybrid public hearing to gather the view of youth representatives, rural development experts and various stakeholders on how to promote sustainable and inclusive rural development that benefits young people and rural communities as a whole.
On Friday, 14 April 2023, the NAT Section is organising a public hearing "Towards a European Food Policy Council / Sustainable Food System" to feed into the own-initiative opinion NAT/892- Towards a European Food Policy Council as a new governance model in the future EU Framework on Sustainable Food Systems in order to compile the views of the civil society organisations working on these issues.
This workshop aims to discuss priorities to strengthen the EU’s SDG leadership at home and internationally in achieving climate neutrality and sustainable development ahead of major international summits planned for this coming July and September.
On Thursday, 23 March 2023, the NAT Section is organising a public expert event "What next for European action on childhood obesity?" to feed into the exploratory opinion requested by the upcoming Spanish Presidency to the Council of the European Union.
In line with its commitments to the Rural Pact, the EESC will organise a thematic debate on renewable energies in rural areas during the next meeting of its Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT Section) planned on Thursday 9 March (11:00 -12:30).
On 27 and 28 February 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Commission will host the 2023 European Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference in hybrid mode. The sixth Conference will bring together Europe's biggest circular economy stakeholders to focus on the role of the circular economy in driving sustainable recovery, open strategic autonomy and resilience.
On 27 February 2023, a high-level hearing on water policies and challenges, entitled Time for a Blue Deal, will take place at the EESC. The hearing sets the scene for the EESC's cross-cutting work on water in 2023.
The hearing will focus on the most pressing water-related challenges now and in the years to come, and on what is the state of play regarding existing policies and actions. The discussions of the hearing will feed into the content of a package of own-initiative opinions on this thematic.
This public event will assess the extent of the EU's current ecological overshoot and look into proposals from organised civil society to push back against resource depletion and present some best practices and initiatives to reduce the EU's ecological footprint.
This public hearing will gather the view of international institutions, environmental law experts and the European and Ukrainian civil society stakeholders on the EU's approach to protecting and enhancing a healthy environment for all.
