On 25 May, Mr George Floyd, a 46-year-old US citizen, died of asphyxia during his arrest by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department. As the shocking images of this brutal arrest of an African-American citizen spread across the world, a growing wave of protests in the USA and beyond shook people's conscience.

In this episode, Belgian hotel owner and industry representative Marc Van Muylders illustrates the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the tourism and hotel sector, while Milena Angelova, EESC Vice-President for budget and secretary-general of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), explains how the EESC is putting its expertise at the service of businesses grappling with the crisis across Europe and Amandine Crespy, professor of political science at the Free University of Brussels and visiting professor at the European College in Bruges, outlines the EU's larger plans to help European businesses weather the storm.

Civil society organisations have been at the forefront of fighting the pandemic in Europe, often stepping in at a moment's notice to plug huge gaps in the public provision of social services and healthcare. Meeting remotely with the EESC on 12 May, they asked to be at the table with EU institutions and governments to help design a recovery plan for a sustainable Europe.

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The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) discusses the European Union post-coronavirus and the urgent choices to be made to support future generations