Det Europæiske Økonomiske og Sociale Udvalg
EØSU's aktiviteter i forhold til nabolandene i øst vedrører Armenien, Aserbajdsjan, Hviderusland, Georgien, Moldova og Ukraine. EØSU's vigtigste opgave er her at skabe bedre forbindelser til civilsamfundsorganisationerne i regionen og inddrage dem i en dialog med både de nationale politiske beslutningstagere og EU's civilsamfundsorganisationer.
De vigtigste samarbejdsmekanismer med Georgien, Moldova og Ukraine er civilsamfundsplatformene, som supplerer de politiske organer, der findes inden for rammerne af EU's associeringsaftaler med de tre lande. Via platformene har civilsamfundsorganisationer i såvel EU som partnerlandene mulighed for at overvåge gennemførelsen og formulere anbefalinger til de relevante myndigheder.
På EU-siden består platformene af medlemmer fra EØSU og repræsentanter for større europæiske civilsamfundsnetværk. Partnerskabslandene er repræsenteret i platformene ved en lang række forskellige civilsamfundsorganisationer. Sammensætningen af platformene afspejler en ligelig repræsentation af alle interessegrupper (arbejdsgiverorganisationer, fagforeninger og andre interessegrupper).
I EØSU blev Opfølgningsudvalget for EU's nabolande i øst oprettet i 2004 netop med henblik på at varetage forbindelserne med civilsamfundet i nabolandene i øst. Opfølgningsudvalget holder som regel fire møder om året og medlemmerne deltager aktivt i aktiviteterne i østpartnerskabet, bl.a. de multilaterale platforme og civilsamfundsforummet.
Cohesion policy is key to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and to reducing disparities in Europe. Its most serious challenge for the foreseeable future, however, is the war in Ukraine, the EESC cautions in a recent opinion. Rapid action is needed to help refugees and ensure the country's European integration.
The situation of civil society in Belarus following the presidential elections in August 2020 and the huge level of repression, as well as the tragic fate of the people in Afghanistan, show that the EU has to speak up with one voice in the geopolitical arena.
On 26 September, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) approved an own-initiative opinion to mark the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership (EaP). In this opinion, the EESC acknowledges the important achievements of this initiative, but also calls for further reforms in the areas of democratisation and fundamental freedoms. The opinion insists on the need to strengthen the role of civil society and to provide credible EU membership prospects to EaP states.
The 3rd meeting of the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform (CSP) held in Kyiv on 8-9 November focused on labour market regulation and antidiscrimination legislation and practices in Ukraine, as well as reviewed the progress of the reforms undertaken within the Association Agreement process. The civil society organisations of the EU and Ukraine strongly called for the EU Member States to push, with all necessary political and economic means, for the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, establishing peace and solving the humanitarian problems of the residents of these and adjoining territories. Opening the meeting, Alfredas Jonuška ...
