This opinion deals with the new Strategy for the future of Schengen issued by the European Commission last June. The Strategy is part of a broader effort to update and strengthen Schengen, which also includes a proposal to amend the regulation on the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism. In this opinion, the EESC welcomes the Commission's Strategy towards a fully functioning and resilient Schengen area and reaffirms its full support for the principles underlying Schengen cooperation. Nevertheless the opinion also advances some concerns, such as: reports of fundamental rights violations at the EU's external borders; the semi-permanent reintroduction of border controls at parts of Member States internal borders and the negative economic and social impact this has had on businesses, and in particular frontier workers, border communities and Euroregions.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Communication on a Strategy for the future of Schengen and Amendment of the Regulation establishing the Schengen Evaluation Mechanism
The future of the European automotive industry will be green and digital and green means carbon neutral and circular as clearly stated in the European Green Deal Communication. The Green Deal is the political compass of the European Union Industrial policy for the coming decades even though the number of challenges ahead is huge.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: The EU mobility strategy and EU industrial value chains: automotive eco-systems approach (own-initiative opinion)
The EESC endorses the Commission proposal and agrees that action must be taken to bolster the instruments safeguarding the EU market and its businesses. This will entail plugging a gap in the legislative framework as regards competition, trade and public procurement with a view to guaranteeing fair competition which is not distorted by foreign subsidies. Some aspects of the intrinsically complex and far-reaching legislative mechanism need to be further refined.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Foreign subsidies distorting the internal market
