In the context of the revision of the founding regulations of the three agencies EUROFOUND, CEDEFOP and EU-OSHA, the Committee expresses its views on general principles governing these bodies and puts forward specific comments for each agency. The EESC warmly welcomes the fact that the balanced, tripartite structure of the management board is to be maintained. The Committee considers that tripartism is the expression of an inclusive approach, which respects the importance of the role of the social partners in seeking joint solutions. The EESC believes that the overall objectives of the three agencies should be uniformly and more comprehensively defined as to "support the needs of all EU institutions and bodies, Member States and Social Partners".
Download — Stellungnahme des Ausschusses: Eurofound, Cedefop & EU-OSHA Regulations
The EESC is committed to open and fair trade and recognises its value as a driver of growth and jobs. Therefore, the EESC calls for a level playing field between European and third country exporting producers, and for effective trade defence instruments. The EESC supports the Commission's proposal that the dumping margin should be calculated not using the standard methodology, but on the basis of benchmarks that take account of significantly distorted production and sale costs. The EESC points out that in its 2016 opinion on preserving sustainable jobs and growth in the steel industry, it already called for the standard methodology not to be used in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese imports as long as the country failed to meet the EU's five criteria for market economy status. The EESC welcomes the Commission's intention of using specific criteria to determine whether there are significant distortions in the market situation.
The EESC opinion provides input to the Commission's proposal for a Regulation on the definition, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks, the use of the names of spirit drinks in the presentation and labelling of other foodstuffs and the protection of geographical indications for spirit drinks.
Download — Stellungnahme des Ausschusses: Spirit drinks
The EESC welcomes the New Skills Agenda for Europe. However, it wishes to see more innovative solutions in the fields of education and skills development, as Europe needs a genuine paradigm shift in the goals and functioning of the education sector. The EESC considers that helping individuals to acquire a minimum set of skills is not enough, and that it is crucial to ensure that a Skills Guarantee becomes a guaranteed pathway that enables people to advance and reach the highest achievable level of skills. The Committee calls for more focus on social and gender perspectives, non-formal and informal learning and entrepreneurship as a life skill. It also regrets the lack of new financing to back up the Agenda and encourages more dialogue with organised civil society.
Download — Stellungnahme des Ausschusses: Skills strategy and human capital
The EESC appreciates the European Commission's effort to apply an economic policy that focuses on supporting the strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth of the euro area as well as a balanced mix of monetary, fiscal and structural instruments in order to achieve this, including a positive fiscal stance.
Download — Stellungnahme des Ausschusses: Recommendation for a Council Recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area
The Single Market is coming under growing pressure, partly due to short-sighted national interests, with a significant part of the population increasingly calling it into question. Unnecessary obstacles such as insufficient recognition of qualifications and diplomas, technical constraints at local level, regulatory obstacles due to differences in national legislation and inadequate coordination of e-government solutions at EU level, must be removed to ensure growth, jobs, long-term prosperity.
Download — Stellungnahme des Ausschusses: Decisions in matrimonial matters and matters of parental responsibility and international child abduction (recast)
In this opinion the EESC supports further harmonisation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and welcomes the proposed improvements. However, it is concerned about some limitations of fundamental rights of asylum seekers. It sets out specific recommendations on the three proposals for: the Qualification Regulation, the Common Procedure Regulation and the Standards of Reception Directive, taking into account the human rights perspective, in line with the opinion on CEAS Reform I.
Download — Stellungnahme des Ausschusses: Common European Asylum System Reform Package II
