Ευρωπαϊκή Οικονομική και Κοινωνική Επιτροπή
From the shadow pandemic
of domestic violence during COVID-19 lockdowns to cyber stalking, violence against women and girls is endemic in society. To be truly holistic, the European Commission's proposal to address the issue across the EU must have a stronger human-rights focus, adopt a gender-sensitive approach and include women in vulnerable situations more effectively.
An EESC hearing points to the need to increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities, especially young people. Despite legal efforts, data shows that many of them are still facing discrimination in the world of work due to stereotypes portraying them as unproductive.
Often a source of labour exploitation, the employment of illegally staying migrants is also a pull factor for migrant smuggling which claims thousands of lives every year of people embarking on dangerous journeys to reach Europe. Both criminal practices should be met with resolute action at national and EU level
In a recent opinion, the EESC backed the EU's legal initiative on regulating platform work as a precondition for ensuring fair working conditions for all types of workers. However, the opinion did not get the support of its Employers' Group, which sees the EU's legal measure as unnecessary and believes it will stifle the innovation and investment brought about by platforms
Although the majority of young people were not considered as the main risk group for COVID-19, they were among those who most strongly felt the consequences of the social and economic measures deployed to fight against the spread of the virus
The European Union needs not only to improve the preparedness of its health system but also to address inequalities within the Union and globally. It needs to move quickly to assess the public health action taken to date
The growth of hatred, expressed both online and offline across Europe, confirms the need to address hate speech and hate crime at EU level, an EESC hearing confirms
Η διάσκεψη με θέμα «Γυναίκες στην αγορά εργασίας», που διοργάνωσε η ΕΟΚΕ επ’ ευκαιρία του εορτασμού της Παγκόσμιας Ημέρας της Γυναίκας, πραγματοποιήθηκε στις 8 Μαρτίου υπό τη σκιά του πολέμου. Οι συμμετέχοντες απέτιναν φόρο τιμής στις αξιοθαύμαστες γυναίκες της Ουκρανίας για το σθένος, τη γενναιότητα και την ανθεκτικότητά τους. Επισημάνθηκαν διάφορες πτυχές της ισότητας των φύλων, όπως η ανάγκη να αυξηθεί η συμμετοχή των γυναικών στην αγορά εργασίας, ιδίως όσον αφορά τις νέες ψηφιακέ
The EESC opinion on the "Reinforcing democracy and integrity of elections package", adopted at the February plenary session, comes in at a very timely moment, with populist voices and anti-democratic rhetoric gaining ground in Europe. Manipulative information, interference and fake news disseminated by "bots" and "trolls" could generate a "casus belli" pretext, as we have witnessed all too recently. The EESC welcomes the aims of the European election package and makes recommendations to further secure transparent, accessible and honest political activities and an active role of civil society.
Although it has great potential, HERA - the EU's new body for fighting future health emergencies across borders – falls short on transparency and ambition. With few checks and balances in place for its work, there are doubts as to whether HERA will be able to fulfil its public health mission, rather than giving a predominant role to the pharmaceutical industry
