May this year bring more predictability, peace and joy

Dear readers,

We entered 2021 still gripped by COVID-19, lockdown and havoc in the jobs market but with hope for a better future thanks to the vaccine. This year will be about securing doses for everyone and convincing people to get a jab. As this progresses, the focus will be more and more on recovery and shaping a post-COVID-19 Europe.

Portugal, which took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 January, is clearly taking this broader, forward-looking approach. Lisbon's priorities concentrate on fighting the economic crisis and counteracting its impact on citizens through a fair, green and digital recovery.

The EESC welcomes these priorities and will contribute to turning words into action through exploratory opinions requested by the Portuguese Presidency. We will address the topic of teleworking, including from the perspective of gender equality. Our members will also work on opinions on vocational training and on challenges ahead of the Single European Railway Area.

The role of the social economy in creating jobs and in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) is the topic of another requested opinion. Staying in the field of social affairs, I have high expectations for the informal EU Social Summit scheduled to take place in Porto in May 2021. The EESC is willing to continue its involvement in implementing the EPSR.

Certainly, we will keep up working on the digital and green transitions – two major megatrends that are crucial for shaping the future of the EU. As I underlined in my presidency priorities, we need to ensure that the EU in general and its citizens in particular reap the benefits of these transitions.

2021 is the first year of the new long-term EU budget and the time when the outstanding exceptional resources available under the Next Generation EU Recovery Fund will be released. The EESC wishes to monitor its implementation at the national level. Our members' grassroots expertise could help to identify bottlenecks in releasing the funds and assess the impact of these unprecedented resources on the recovery. Quick access to the funding remains extremely important.

Sadly, there is still no decision on the Conference of the Future of Europe. I hope that the inter-institutional debate on this matter comes to an end so we can start working on organised civil society's input to this discussion.

Last but not least, we will continue to rebuild our institution's image. As promised at the beginning of my presidency, we are working on strengthening ethical standards and transparency through an enhanced Code of Conduct.

I hope you all enjoy reading this newsletter and wish you all the best for 2021! May this year bring us more predictability, peace and joy.

Christa Schweng

EESC President