The European Green Deal announced that to protect Europe’s citizens and ecosystems, the EU needs to move towards a zero pollution ambition, and better prevent and remedy pollution from air, water, soil, and consumer products.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Zero Pollution Action Plan for air, water and soil
The EESC strongly believes in the importance of the next Semester cycle as a key instrument for implementing the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
However, it is still concerned about the lack of clarity in most Member States as regards their National Recovery and Resilience Plan governance systems and the distribution of responsibilities for their implementation.
The EESC would also draw attention to the need to measure progress in implementation, for which good monitoring indicators are needed; in this connection it welcomes the "Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard" initiative.
Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the need for a strong industrial policy to avoid dependence on other economic zones for many products and services.
The EESC wants to see real action in this respect by Member States, in terms of investment in education, infrastructure and industrial policy to raise employment and boost European industry.
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 EU is the world's biggest producer of glass with a market share of around one third of total world production. The industry is known for the quality of its products, its capacity for technological innovation and its skilled labour force. The glass industries comprise five sectors covering different glass products, applications and markets: containers, flat glass, glass fibre, special glasses and domestic glass.
HEARING in the framework of the EESC study group CCMI/180 - Glass in Europe
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Glass in Europe at a crossroads: delivering a greener, energy-efficient industry, while enhancing competitiveness and maintaining quality jobs (own-initiative opinion)
Micro enterprises and SMEs (MSME) in all fields need good conditions to survive the health and economic crisis and unlock their potential so that they can grow and create jobs. This opinion examines alternatives to address the administrative ("paper tax") burden on MSMEs, particularly in view of current transparency and disclosure measures to achieve the EU's social and environmental objectives.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Reconciling ambitious sustainable and social objectives with an enabling environment for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises
The Communication is intended to update the previous Communication (COM (2020) 102 final) adopted on 10 March 2020 at the dawn of the COVID-19 crisis, taking into account the latest developments related in particular to the pandemic.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Updating the new industrial strategy
Download — Information report: Creation of a European statute for associations and NGOs incorporating a precise definition of an NGO or a European association (information report)
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Laying down certain provisions for fishing in the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean Agreement area (recast)
This opinion provides with the EESC's views on the new EU Strategy on voluntary return and reintegration, a key objective under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The EESC welcomes the strategy as a management tool that seeks to improve coordination and Member States' shared objectives in the field of migration governance. It also agrees with the Commission's approach of further reviewing and harmonising the existing instruments, in order to, among other things, improve the fragmented approach to the issue, reduce the costs of return and increase the funding allocated to programmes. The EESC however continues to hold the view that the strategic weakness of the European Union's immigration and asylum policy is its almost exclusive focus on tackling irregular situations, whether at the border or through voluntary and forced returns.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Sustainable voluntary return and reintegration strategy
The EESC is deeply aware of the horror of human trafficking and the harmful consequences for its victims and supports all measures to fight and eradicate it. It supports the intention to establish minimum standards at EU level that criminalise the networks involved in trafficking and exploiting human beings, and the use of services arising from the exploitation of trafficking victims. The EESC proposes that involvement of CSOs and social partners be incorporated into the Strategy and that these organisations be properly supported.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings 2021-2025
