The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), VMA building, room VMA 3, Rue van Maerlant 2, 1040 Brussels
Belgium
The European Commission made a proposal for a directive on a European Accessibility Act, which will set common accessibility requirements for certain key products and services, and will help people with disabilities at EU level to participate fully in society.
The EESC is currently preparing an opinion on the Commission's proposal . On 13 April 2016, the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) will hold a public hearing in conjunction with the work on this opinion.
The conclusions of the hearing will feed directly into the work of the drafting group which will hold its second meeting in the afternoon of the same day.
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Van Maerlant Building, Room VMA 3, Rue Van Maerlant 2, 1040 Brussels
Belgium
The EESC Permanent Study Group on Disability Rights is organising a public hearing on equal treatment in employment and occupation. The aim of the event is to analyse what has been achieved and what is still to be done for the full implementation of the equal treatment in employment directive.
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Jacques Delors building, room JDE 51, Rue Belliard 99, 1040 Brussels
Belgium
The EESC has been working on an information report the aim of which was to investigate how European Parliament election procedures are determined in each Member State, taking into account the needs of persons with disabilities and how this affects their right to vote.
In this context, a public hearing was organized to present the first conclusions of the report and to look into successful projects and practices.
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Van Maerlant Building, Room VMA 3, Rue Van Maerlant 2, 1040 Brussels
Belgium
The EESC and its Permanent Study group on Disability rights are organizing a public hearing on the situation of refugees and migrants with disabilities on 14 February 2017.
The objective of the hearing is to draw attention on the situation of refugees and migrants with disabilities, by raising awareness among organizations working with them on the rights and needs of persons with disabilities.
In the first part we will focus on the situation in Greece and will present the report and recommendations issuing from the EESC visit to Lesbos and Athens in October 2016. In the second part we will enlarge the picture and look at what the EU and civil society can do to tackle the crisis in particular with regard to vulnerable refugees and migrants.
On 20 February 2024 in Brussels, the EESC organised a conference on the Housing Crisis in Europe. This publication sets out the participants' assessment of the current state of affairs and their recommendations on how to tackle the current housing crisis.
The report is the result of the work of the Study Group on Disability Rights (SG DIS) of the past two years and half and brings together the EESC's recommendations gathered from different stakeholders with the objective to contribute to the EU reporting exercise to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) Committee.
Following the EU's ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its Optional Protocol in 2010, the EESC committed1 to setting up a structure to monitor the implementation of the Convention. The Study Group on Disability Rights started its activities in 2015, with the following objectives:
To ensure practical implementation of the UNCRPD both within and outside the EESC;
To facilitate EU policy guidance in key areas highlighted by the UNCPRD Committee;
To facilitate participation by providing a forum for debate and structured participation for disability organisations (DPOs), civil society organisations and other stakeholders in the implementation of the UNCRPD.
Activity Report - Disability rights - Period 2018-2020
This report presents the state of play of the implementation of the right of European Union (EU) citizens with disabilities to vote in elections to the European Parliament (EP). The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an EU advisory body, believes it has a duty, in the run-up to the EP elections, to provide EU institutions, Member States and EU citizens with a full picture of how this right is actually implemented. The EESC hopes that at the next elections in 2024, no EU citizen will be deprived of their right to vote because of their disability.
All adult Europeans, including those with disabilities, have the right to vote in national and European Parliament elections. A report by European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) rapporteur Krzysztof Pater estimates that around 800 000 EU citizens in 16 EU countries are legally deprived by national rules of their right to vote in elections to the European Parliament because of their disabilities or mental health problems.
The EESC organised debates with organised civil society in all Member States between 2 September and 2 November 2016. The debates were coordinated by three EESC members ('trios') from the country concerned, often in co-operation with the European Commission (15 debates) or the national Economic and Social Council (7 debates).