The annual revision of the Eurostat SDG Report must be an opportunity for broader dialogue with civil society concerning which indicators be included and what the target for each of these should be. This own-initiative opinion examines how organised civil society could be better involved in a more qualitative follow-up of the annual revision of the Eurostat SDG report as part of SDG monitoring and follow-up programmes that have been established.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Indicators better suited to evaluate the SDGs – the civil society contribution (own-initiative opinion)
The Commission's initiative follows one of the recommendations of the Agricultural Markets Task Force that the EU should legislate in the areas of UTPs for agricultural products, and responds to some of the conclusions of the 2016 EESC opinion on "A fairer food supply chain".
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Improving the food supply chain
The Commission is proposing a targeted revision of the General Food Law Regulation coupled with the revision of eight pieces of sectoral legislation, to bring them in line with the general rules and strengthen transparency in the area of GMOs, feed additives, smoke flavourings, food contact materials, food additives, food enzymes and flavourings, plant protection products and novel foods.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Transparency in scientific assessments and governance of EFSA
The Internet of Things (IoT), thanks to its interconnectivity of persons and objects, offers a vast range of opportunities for individuals and businesses. These opportunities must be backed by a series of safeguards and controls so as to ensure introduction of the IoT is problem-free. With this opinion the EESC aims to promote awareness-raising and digital capacity-building initiatives and calls inter alia on the European institutions and EU Member States to ensure that security and privacy are protection by building appropriate regulatory frameworks that contain strict monitoring and control provisions.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Trust, privacy and consumer security in the Internet of Things (IoT) (own-initiative opinion)
The EESC flags up the potential of AI and would like to give its input to efforts to lay the groundwork for the social transformations which will go hand in hand with the rise of AI and robotics.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Artificial intelligence: anticipating its impact on jobs to ensure a fair transition (own-initiative opinion)
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Nominal quantities for placing on the Union market of single distilled shochu produced by pot still and bottled in Japan
Le CESE estime que la directive devrait présenter un meilleur équilibre entre les droits fondamentaux des personnes et la nécessité de garantir une meilleure application de la législation touchant à la lutte contre la criminalité et à sa répression.
Le CESE formule un certain nombre de recommandations concrètes, portant notamment sur les points suivants:
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Rules facilitating the use of financial and other information in criminal cases
The EESC supports the proposed regulatory framework, comprising: amendments to the technical standards and rules of the Union Customs Code (UCC); corrections of technical errors and omissions, aligning the code with the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA); and the inclusion of the municipality of Campione d'Italia and the Italian waters of Lake Lugano in the EU customs territory, as requested by the Member State concerned. With regard to the inclusion of "territorial enclaves", the EESC recommends paying particular attention to making the necessary amendments at the same time to Directive 2008/118/EC (Excise duties) and Directive 2006/112/EC (the VAT Directive).
The key message of the opinion is that transforming the energy system towards carbon-free, decentralised and digitalised supply offers enormous opportunities, in particular for structurally weak and rural regions in Europe. The development of renewable energy (RE) can have a major and beneficial impact on employment, and can be configured so as to provide a completely new stimulus for the regional economy. There is therefore potential for mutually reinforcing the positive effects of Europe's energy and cohesion policies. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) finds it regrettable that both the Commission and the Member States have yet to properly recognise this potential, let alone exploit it.
Download — EESC opinion: The effects of a new carbon-free, decentralised and digitalised energy supply structure on jobs and regional economies (own initiative opinion)
The EESC welcomes the proposed Regulation. It builds on and replaces the existing Regulation, on which the EESC commented in January 2011, and tries to learn from experiences at national and EU level since it came into force in 2013 and into (intended) full effect by September 2014. The EESC notes a number of areas where greater clarity on the scope and implementation of the Regulation should be considered; these will also need to be discussed in greater detail with Member States in the months ahead. The EESC questions the effectiveness of grouping such widely disparate substances under a single regulatory regime. This makes the legislation hard to draft and even harder to implement or comprehend as a professional user or member of the general public. A different substance-specific approach is therefore recommended. EU legislation in respect of drug precursors provides a useful model for this.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Explosives precursors
With this opinion, the EESC welcomes the proposal since it strikes a balance between the need to develop technologies with a low environmental impact (Euro 5 type-approval step) and the actual ability of some companies to introduce these within the stipulated timeframe (technical feasibility).
For the EESC this legislation will have a beneficial effect on the costs to companies and, consequently, on those borne by consumers. Moreover, the EESC is in favour of renewing the Commission's power to adopt delegated acts for a further period of five years.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: The application of the Euro 5 step to the type-approval of two- or three- wheel vehicles and quadricycles
Persistent organic pollutants ("POPs") are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk to human health and the environment.
The aim of this proposal for a regulation is that the Commission has identified needs to update and recast the existing regulation on Persistent Organic Pollutants that dates back to 2004.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Recast of Regulation 850/2004 on persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
The objective of this proposal is to bring the benefits of Regulation 924/2009 to people and businesses in Member States outside the euro area, and put an end to the high cost of intra-EU cross-border transactions in euro. This proposal will enhance transparency for consumers by disclosing the full cost of a cross-border transaction. It will help them compare currency conversion service offers before starting a payment transaction involving a currency conversion.
Women with disabilities constitute 16% of the total population of women in Europe, which means in the EU there are approximately 40 million women and girls with disabilities. Women with disabilities face intersectional discrimination in all areas of life, including, socio-economic disadvantages, social isolation, violence against women, forced sterilisation and abortion, lack of access to community services, low-quality housing, institutionalisation, inadequate health care and denial of the opportunity to contribute and engage actively in society.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: The situation of women with disabilities (exploratory opinion requested by the European Parliament)
The digitalised world of work will necessitate proper transition management – not only from the side of enterprises, but also from that of human capital.
On the one hand, enterprises have to identify and assess the new needs and draw up and implement plans for controlling the risks and reducing the costs of the transition; employees, on the other hand, should be provided with appropriate guidance and training, so that they can adapt to the new reality and be able to seize the opportunities offered and thrive.
Another aspect to be taken into consideration in the digitalised world of work is the use of data. Thanks to digital technologies and data, the evolution of trends is better understood and targeted support can be proposed to individuals; yet the use of these digital data should be regulated.
The opinion will build on the work already carried out by the Committee on the future of work.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: EU concepts for transition management in a digitalised world of work – key input for an EU White Paper on the future of work (exploratory opinion requested by the Austrian Presidency)
Transport is a vital enabler of several SDGs. It contributes strongly to the SDGs regarding economic development, industry and SMEs, as well as trade and investment. Consequently, it also helps achieve the SDGs that aim to promote employment and well-being, and to reduce inequalities and exclusion. Meanwhile, transport presents many challenges with respect to the SDGs, such as the need to reduce climate and environmental impacts, to improve transport systems and traffic safety, and to manage concerns related to jobs and decent work.
The EESC calls on the Commission to prepare a new, integrated policy framework for the next generation of transport policy. Moreover, it calls on the Commission to assess the SDG indicators from the transport point of view and to enhance the development of indicators that are relevant, give a realistic and informative picture of developments, and are in line with the integrated approach.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Role of transport in realising the sustainable development goals, and consequent implications for EU policy-making (own-initiative opinion)
The revision of Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption is also part of the plan to transition to a circular economy. The revised proposal will help Member States manage drinking water in a resource-efficient and sustainable manner, thereby helping to reduce energy use and unnecessary water loss. It will also help reduce the number of plastic bottles.
Download — Γνωμοδότηση της ΕΟΚΕ: Quality of water for human consumption (recast)
