The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
The Civil Society Platform complements the political bodies existing within the framework of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, and it allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the implementation process and prepare their recommendations to the relevant authorities both in the Republic of Moldova as well as in the European Union. At this fourth meeting, participants discussed Human rights and democratic institutions in Moldova.
Palace of Serbia, Room "Belgrade", 2 Mihajla Pupina Boulevard
Belgrade
Serbia
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Serbia held the 7th meeting of their Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) in Belgrade. This civil society platform between the EESC and civil society in Serbia was established within the institutional framework of the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in order to allow civil society organisations on both sides to monitor the country's accession negotiations. It is also a platform to discuss issues of common interest and to inform the public at large of the challenges ahead during the accession period. Besides the current state of play in EU-Serbia relations and the accession process, main topic of the 7th JCC meeting were: Decreasing of Inequality and Promotion of Equal Opportunities in Social Policy and Employment and Enabling civic space and overview of the civil society situation in Serbia. A common declaration of the JCC was issued after the meeting.
The 13th meeting of the EU Advisory Group for the EU-Central America Association Agreement took place on 4 October 2018 in Brussels. Please click on the programme tab to consult the topics on the agenda.
This years' meeting of the EESC's Western Balkans Follow-up Committee outside of Brussels will be held on 24-25 September 2018 in Tirana, Albania. A meeting with social partners on the state of social dialogue in Albania on 24 September and a hearing with the civil society organisations (CSOs) on Youth Policy and Youth Participation in the Albanian society on 25 September.
Our Western Balkans Follow-up Committee members will listen to the views on the role of civil society in Albania, and later convey these messages to the Government of Albania and to the political authorities of the EU. These meetings in Albania are a step towards the 7th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum to be held in 2019.
During the 9th meeting of the Domestic Advisory Group for the EU-Colombia, Peru and Ecuador FTA the members discussed the Rules of Procedure and the work programme of the new mandate. DG TRADE provided the members with the latest information on the FTA.
During the meeting, the members of the Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) of the EU composed of representatives of employers' organisations, trade unions and various interest group, elected their Chair and Vice-Chairs. They discussed the mandate of the EU DAG, working methods, reporting procedures and cooperation with other civil society organisations, as well as exchange views on its rules of procedure.
For the 11th time, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Montenegro held the Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) in Podgorica, Montenegro.
This meeting tackled following issues:
Assessment of the state of play in Montenegro accession negotiations to the EU
Chapter 19 of the accession negotiations – Social policy and employment, with a special focus on the European Pillar of Social Rights
Chapter 2 of the accession negotiations – Free movement of workers
Overview of the Civil Society situation in Montenegro
The EU-Africa economic and social stakeholders' network will first deal with the up-coming EU-Africa Action Plan for the period 2018-2020. The annual meeting will specifically address migration and economic issues, focusing on the implications for young people. The youth focus is essential as young people clearly represent an increasingly important proportion of African populations. Moreover, youth unemployment in both Africa and Europe is a shared concern of economic and social actors. It is helping to feed migration flows, especially for young Africans who are facing a lack of prospects.
During the meeting, the members of the Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) of the EU composed of representatives of employers' organisations, trade unions and various interest group discussed the mandate of the EU DAG, working methods, reporting procedures and cooperation with other civil society organisations, as well as exchanged views on its rules of procedure. Additionally, the members of the EU DAG exchanged views with representatives of the European Commission on matters related to the implementation of the trade and sustainable development title of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).