The EESC has adopted an opinion pointing out that nuclear energy is an essential component of the clean energy mix which is needed to phase out fossil fuels. The Committee calls on the European Commission to include key regulatory and financial enablers in order to make the planned investment possible, and to enhance transparent dialogue with civil society.
At its December 2025 plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted an own-initiative opinion on Facilitating the potential of permanent materials in the EU circular economy. The opinion stresses the importance of steel, aluminium and glass – materials that retain their properties through multiple recycling cycles – for achieving a truly circular EU economy.
supports the ECF as a cornerstone of the EU budget to drive innovation, resilience and security, stressing that funding must remain firmly aligned with sustainability and the EU’s social market economy;
calls for merit-based, EU-wide project selection with clear criteria, transparent procedures, equal access for applicants in all Member States and active involvement of social partners and civil society in governance;
proposes a ‘market referendum’, requiring projects seeking major EU top-ups to mobilise a share of private capital first, which would help validate project quality, reduce politicised funding decisions and strengthen the link between public support and real competitiveness;
stresses the need for strong risk-assessment and prevention tools, to ensure that ECF resources are channelled only to projects that genuinely enhance Europe’s competitiveness and avoid repeating past shortcomings in EU funding programmes; and
highlights the importance of supporting SMEs, regional and cross-border innovation ecosystems and investment in skills and decent work, while simplifying procedures and ensuring governance that is transparent, predictable and inclusive.
In an opinion that was adopted at its December plenary, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) urges the EU to step up public and private investment in space, with the end goal of reinforcing strategic autonomy and promoting innovation. The Committee also advises increasing the funds allocated to the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (covering 2028–2034).
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has endorsed the European Commission’s new strategy to overhaul the single market, while calling for fully-fledged implementation of single market-related measures and effective enforcement of EU legislation.
welcomes the Commission’s 2024 approach, which seeks to align competition enforcement with the EU’s digital, green and industrial policy priorities while safeguarding a well-functioning Single Market:
supports the Commission’s efforts to enhance the effectiveness and predictability of competition rules, including the development of new guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance, the modernised Market Definition Notice, and improved tools to assess consumer welfare impacts;
stresses the importance of strong and effective enforcement in digital markets, both under traditional competition rules and through the growing application of the Digital Markets Act.;
calls for stronger merger control, including a framework to scrutinise below-threshold acquisitions that may harm competition (e.g. “killer acquisitions”), and urges greater consideration of labour market impacts and innovation dynamics in merger assessments;
highlights the need for State aid rules to promote cross-border participation, reduce fragmentation and support strategic investments essential for the Clean Industrial Deal, while ensuring cohesion and a level playing field across Member States.
The long-anticipated EU strategic approach to the Black Sea, which recognises the region as a critical hub for security, stability, and economic prosperity, arrives late and with limited ambition, underscores the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), while calling for it to be swiftly implemented and properly resourced.
