Europäischer Wirtschafts- und Sozialausschuss
Forced displacement is not only a humanitarian issue, but also an economic and political challenge for which a greater involvement of development stakeholders is needed. In this sense, the EESC is drafting an opinion on the European Commission Communication on Forced Displacement and Development. Within the framework of this opinion, a Public Hearing will take place on 10/10.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Serbia held the 3rd 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.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Serbia held the 3rd 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.
The European Migration Forum (EMF) – the dialogue platform on migration, asylum and migrant integration – will meet for the third time in March 2017.
The EESC Permanent study group on Immigration and Integration (IMI) organises a consultation event with relevant stakeholders to offer input to the Forum Bureau on possible topics of the 2017 Forum meeting.
The event is accessible to all organisations working in the field of migration, asylum and migrant integration.
The EESC presents the second edition of its brochure "FINANCIAL EDUCATION FOR ALL - An EESC publication on financial education strategies and best practices within the European Union".
In the context of this event, a panel debate addresses the importance of financial education given the evaluation of the framework conditions.
The EESC supports the Commission's ambition for the European Union to lead the way in the global fight against money laundering and terrorism, in which all stakeholders should join forces. To feed into the political debate and decision making process and to make sure the needs of civil society are duly taken account of, the EESC is organising a public hearing on "The fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and tax evasion".
During the meeting, the EU DAG will discuss with a representative of the European Parliament the progress in work on its report on implementation of the EU-Korea FTA. The Group may also inquire about the outcomes of the EP's mission to the Republic of Korea, which took place in May 2016. The European Commission will update participants on the state of play and the next steps in the ex-post evaluation of the agreement as well as implementation of the EU-Korea joint project related to the ILO Convention No. 111. The Commission will also inform the Group about the preparations for the meetings with Korea under the trade and sustainable development chapter, which will be held in Brussels by the end of 2016. The EU DAG will discuss moreover preparations for the next EU-Korea Civil Society Forum.
This one-day conference will be a first step towards concretising the coalition of politics, administration and civil society called for by the EESC NAT/684 Opinion. It will also deliver a strong message on multi-stakeholder collaboration as enabler of accelerated implementation and the generalisation of concrete actions (scaling, replicating, extending) as well as a pathway for the practical implementation of many key components of the Paris Agreement to be debated during COP22, such as financing, capacity building and adaptation, among others.
On the 4th and 5th of October 2016 the first meeting of the EU-Chile Joint Consultative Committee took place in Santiago, Chile. The JCC is contemplated in Article 10 of the EU-Chile Association Agreement and it is the last provision that has yet to be executed. An EESC delegation composed of nine members and presided by Ms. Pavic-Rogošic will be meeting the recently constituted Chilean Council. The rules governing the JCC will be agreed upon during this time and a work program encompassing the priorities of civil society in the relations between the EU and Chile will be defined. The JCC will be constituted at a key time in the relations between both political authorities in the context of the upcoming Modernization of the Association Agreement.
In its own-initiative opinion, the EESC is looking at the efficiency of the efforts, funded from the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), in tackling poverty and social exclusion in Europe – as one of the Europe 2020 strategy's most important goals.
The aim of this hearing is to collect specific observations and recommendations based on the experiences of civil society organisations with the implementation of the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) for combating poverty and social exclusion.
