The European packaging sector comprises five main sub-sectors. "Paper and board" (including paper bags and cartons) is the largest consumer packaging category with a~34% share of the total packaging market. "Rigid plastics" (tubs, pots and jars etc.) is the second-largest packaging category with a ~27% share and is one of the faster‑growing categories, forecast to grow above real GDP (~4% per year) until 2015.
The EESC proposes to reduce and standardise the range of different taxes, extend tax bases, align tax rates more closely, and strengthen cooperation and information exchange mechanisms in order to combat fraud and evasion.
Tax should be captured where the economic substance is located. Feeding into the current political discussion, the EESC equally calls to urgently eliminate practices used in the Member States to grant selected corporations special tax privileges. The Committee wants to involve citizens in combating the black economy, tax evasion and tax fraud by encouraging instruments such as service vouchers and forms of electronic payment that leave a trace.
The Europe 2020 strategy's main problems can be seen in the areas of governance, the targets set, civil society participation and its implementation. The architecture of the strategy's governance has formalised a structural distortion in which economic aspects take precedence over social and environmental governance, subordinating the Europe 2020 targets to the macro-economic priorities of the European Semester. It is worrying that the Europe 2020 strategy does not involve organised civil society adequately, at either national or European level.
Discours de M.Palmieri, lors 502e session plénière
This opinion aims at exploring the obstacles to overcome and the conditions for developing quality services for the family in order to create decent and attractive jobs.
Previous work on the professionalisation of domestic work and on a family policy that tackles the challenge of demographic change need to be continued and updated by: revealing and describing the nature of the obstacles currently blocking the development and professionalisation of these jobs which; and making known positive experiences and good practices being implemented today in a number of Member States and major companies.
At the Vilnius Summit, which took place on 28-29 November 2013, it was expected that Ukraine, as the first of the EaP countries, would sign the Association Agreement, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, with the European Union. However, the Ukrainian Government, rather unexpectedly, took the decision to temporarily suspend the process of preparations for signature of the Association Agreement. This decision caused political turmoil and instability in the whole country, with, to this day, far-reaching political consequences.
Download — Situation of Ukrainian civil society in the context of European aspirations of Ukraine
The aim of the opinion is to call on the representatives of the European Community institutions and national government to take account of the key role of the social partners and organised civil society in providing European immigration policies with a social dimension and added value.
The EESC welcomes the Green Paper, because of the contribution that mHealth can make to European healthcare systems, which are facing increasing challenges as a result of demographic change.
The Committee considers that the priority must be to improve healthcare, not to cut costs. The success of mHealth requires the participation of healthcare professionals, dialogue with patient organisations, the promotion of mutual trust between patients and professionals and the provision of incentives and training plans for the latter. Dialogue also needs to be established with industry in this field.
Download — EU framework on "mHealth" and "health and wellbeing applications"
