EESC info

At its December plenary, the EESC discussed the issues affecting young people in the labour market. The debate rounded off the 2022 European Year of Youth and ushered in the 2023 European Year of Skills. The Committee advocated for a long-term strategy for youth engagement and recommended that European Years go beyond mere promotional activities and produce clear plans.

In the post-COVID-19 world, there is a new emphasis on the changing needs of the labour market, with all the opportunities and risks they entail, stressed EESC president Christa Schweng who opened the debate. "As part of the European Year of Skills, the EESC will continue focusing on the needs of our young people and the challenges that they are facing in our fast-changing world.".

Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, explained his vision for Europe: "Better prospects for young people, which includes taking care of their security and responding to their aspirations for meaningful jobs and a strong and inclusive social life."

In a resolution adopted at the same plenary, the EESC also called on the EU institutions and national governments to strengthen youth engagement in decision-making and implement its proposed EU youth test. Katrĩna Leitāne, president of the EESC coordination group for the European Year of Youth, said that it is important to guarantee "a tangible and long-lasting legacy for the European Year of Youth and ensure that young people have a say in decisions affecting their future."

The Committee is looking ahead to 2023 and has issued an opinion on the European Year of Skills (EYS), expressing concerns over the overcrowded agenda and priorities of the EYS. The rapporteur, Tatjana Babrauskienė, said that "All activities carried out as part of EYS 2023 must be aimed at the best possible progress in all fields of education and training, with social and transversal skills among the 'right skills' to be promoted."

The opinion also encouraged the Commission to ensure that refugees and asylum-seekers can validate their skills and competences in the EU and be offered up- and re-skilling opportunities to ease their way into the labour market. "Special consideration must be given to our Ukrainian friends. We want to foster a strong young Ukrainian generation and not create a new lost generation in Ukraine, as the Russian regime hopes to do", concluded Commissioner Schmit. (gb)

The EESC held a debate at its December plenary on the role of finance and public recovery policies in promoting gender equality and the economic empowerment of women in the EU. The discussion was linked to the adoption of two opinions: one on a gender-based approach to budgeting and investing and the other on how Member States can improve the way in which the direct and indirect measures proposed in their Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs) affect gender equality.

Gender equality is still far from being a reality in Europe, especially when it comes to economic empowerment and access to venture capital and funding. "We cannot afford to overlook women's potential in the post-pandemic recovery. Gender mainstreaming must become a reality in national recovery plans, as well as macroeconomic policy and global development," said EESC President Christa Schweng when opening the debate.

Maria Nikolopoulou, rapporteur for the EESC opinion on Gender-based investments in national recovery and resilience plans, added: "Gender equality is not only a women's issue: it benefits everyone. The participation of both women and men and of civil society organisations is crucial for detecting the areas that need to be addressed through the budget".

Ody Neisingh, rapporteur for the EESC opinion on gender lens investing, said: "The financial aspect of gender equality remains a blind spot in EU policies. Even though gender lens investing and gender budgeting are gaining momentum among policy makers, there is still a lack of systemic focus".

Finally, Cinzia Del Rio, co-rapporteur for the opinion on gender-based investments, commented on gender-based measures in RRPs: "Priority should be given to intensifying direct and indirect measures on gender equality when implementing RRPs. This requires targeted public policies, and clear and sustainable investment channels with medium- and long-term resource planning". (tk)

The global food price crisis has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, but is actually due to more structural and systemic problems in the commodities market, creating hunger and threatening people's livelihoods, highlighted the EESC in an own initiative opinion adopted on 14 December.

Fuelled by conflict, climate shocks and COVID-19, the food price crisis is escalating as the war in Ukraine drives up the costs of food, fuel and fertilizers. The food price index reached a record high in 2022 against a backdrop of increasing food insecurity worldwide.

However, the scope and scale of the current price volatility can only be partially explained by market fundamentals. One of the underlying flaws is the opaque and dysfunctional nature of grain markets.

''Do not play with food, used to say my grandmother. Yet today many people are forgetting the real value of food and are gaming on it," said the rapporteur for the opinion Peter Schmidt, president of the EESC Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment section. "We show clearly that the current commodity market is not delivering for sustainable development, climate ambition and just transition. On the contrary, it undermines the efforts to solve hunger and foster fair revenues and prices"

The EESC opinion stresses that the global physical grain trade is highly concentrated. Four companies control an estimated 70-90 % of global grain trade. "While increasing food prices threaten food security globally, large trading firms are profiting. This is unacceptable!'', he said.

The EESC urges Member States and EU institutions to take the necessary steps to curb excessive commodity speculation, while recognising that commodity derivative markets provide key services to the producers and users of food commodities, such as risk management and price discovery. The EESC recommends:

• regulating the futures market for food derivatives, as was the case until the end of the last century;
• regulating commodities and food indexes, in particular by regulating and banning commodity index funds and replication via swaps and exchange traded products;
• addressing the financialisation of the food sector, e.g. by introducing a global windfall taxation on excess profits and a food speculation tax, as well as breaking oligopolies at all levels of the international food trade chain;
• enhancing market transparency by improving environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting and non-financial disclosure of actors involved in speculation. (ks)

The competitiveness check should apply to any EU policy and law-making process, the EESC argues in a new opinion where it also makes the case for an EU "competitiveness agenda".

In the report, adopted at the December plenary, the EESC argues that the impact of EU policies and regulations on the competitiveness of EU businesses needs to be assessed much more comprehensively and systematically than is currently the case. 

A competitiveness check should cover legislation, fiscal measures, strategies, programmes, international agreements, and even the European Semester. It should look at their impact on businesses, employment, working conditions and compliance costs. It should consider how they can affect businesses in different sectors, of different sizes and with different business models both in the short and long term.

Europe's share of the world's GDP has been falling for quite some time and could shrink to less than 10% by 2050. The short-term outlook is no rosier, with the ongoing aftermath of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, soaring energy prices and dependence on key foreign imports. Add to that the green and digital transitions and you get a fairly good idea of the huge challenges that EU businesses are facing.

How do we ensure that competitiveness and businesses are given a more prominent role in EU decision-making? The EESC proposes a three-pronged approach.

First, at technical level, the EESC suggests beefing up the European Commission's impact assessment by making the competitiveness check mandatory and much more extensive. 

"The European Commission already has to carry out impact assessments where the effects of an initiative on competitiveness are taken into account," said Christian Ardhe, rapporteur for the EESC opinion. "However, we also see a need for improvement, especially with respect to implementation and enforcement."

Second, at political level, competitiveness should be given proper weight when shaping new initiatives, which should be assessed on how they contribute to and support competitiveness.

Third, the Committee calls for a specific competitiveness agenda with the long-term goal of enhancing the EU's competitiveness. 

"With this opinion, we really want to come back to the ways in which competitiveness is monitored, and take into account the complexities involved in this area," said Giuseppe Guerini, co-rapporteur for the opinion. "Today, competitiveness is no longer something that affects single businesses or companies – it really is about ecosystems. So, we need to take a more complex approach when we look at it." 

The opinion was drawn up in response to a request from the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU. (dm)

The EESC's December plenary session featured a debate on the reconstruction and resilience of the Euro-Mediterranean region following the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on digital literacy.

Highlighting the key role played by regional cooperation and dialogue and by the network of local civil society organisations in particular, the Committee's president Christa Schweng said that the Union for the Mediterranean and the Anna Lindh Foundation were very important partners for the EESC and two major pillars of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

Álvaro Albacete Perea, deputy secretary-general of the Union for the Mediterranean, and Josep Ferré, executive director of the Anna Lindh Euro Mediterranean Foundation for Dialogue Between Cultures, stressed just how crucial it was to strengthen the relationship between the EU and the Southern Mediterranean region.

Digitalisation is key for economic and social progress across the Euro-Mediterranean region. The own-initiative opinion on Digital transition in the Euro-Mediterranean region, drawn up by Dolores Sammut Bonnici and adopted at the plenary session, points out that it is important to reduce the digital divide between individual countries, between urban and rural areas and between generations. (mp)

The EESC calls on the EU and Member States to work on better communicating fundamental rights and the rule of law towards the general public. In an opinion adopted in December, the Committee suggests focusing on fairness and justice and giving a voice to those who experience human rights violations first-hand.

The rule of law and fundamental rights can be perceived by some as overly abstract, distant, jargonistic and legalistic concepts. The Committee believes that this is a real danger which the EU needs to address.

Cristian Pîrvulescu, rapporteur for the EESC opinion "Communicating fundamental rights and the rule of law", explained that "lack of clear communication and education at European and national levels on these principles benefits the enemies of democracy. We call for more support for civil society awareness-raising activities and stronger school curricula."

Co-rapporteur José Antonio Moreno Díaz stressed that "Individuals cannot defend their fundamental rights if they do not know what they actually mean. EU actors, institutions, Member States, and civil society can make a difference by translating abstract concepts into meaningful and practical issues, creating a shared European culture of fundamental rights and the rule of law."
 
The EESC opinion argues that human rights protection and the rule of law are not possible in the absence of a welfare state. The two are interconnected: when the welfare state no longer works, society may view the rule of law as an empty concept. This link is also recognised in the European Pillar of Social Rights, an essential policy tool for building a more inclusive Union.

The Committee urges all EU institutions to demonstrate zero tolerance for rule of law breaches in EU Member States. In doing so, the EU should continue to rely on the definition of the rule of law provided by the European Commission for Democracy through Law, which offers a clear description of the key principles covered by the rule of law.  (gb)
 

The technical limit value for asbestos exposure should ultimately be set at a lower level than the Commission is currently proposing in a recent directive regulating the protection of workers from dangers of occupational asbestos exposure, the EESC said in an opinion adopted at its plenary session in December.

"Social partners can go beyond the new limit that will apply under the directive and take appropriate measures to further reduce the presence of asbestos fibres in workplaces," the EESC stated in the opinion on Protection from exposure to asbestos at work.

The EESC said that the technical limit should ultimately be set at 0.001 fibres/cm³, after a reasonable transition period.

"We welcome the Commission's ambition to reduce the incidence of cancer and its specific efforts to minimise exposure to asbestos at work. It is a good basis for moving forward in the longer term towards zero tolerance to asbestos exposure. But we believe that the EU should go beyond what is proposed by the Commission," said the rapporteur for the EESC opinion Ellen Nygren.

"There is no level of asbestos exposure that can be considered safe without the risk of cancer. Thus, despite the current ban on the use of new asbestos, there are still large amounts of work where workers are still exposed to this deadly substance," she warned.
According to figures presented at a recent EESC hearing, about 90 370 people die each year in the EU from asbestos-related cancer, demonstrating the need for a reduced limit value.

To meet this target, the EESC recommended drawing up a roadmap of complementary measures going beyond the Commission's proposal. They include financial support for businesses and regions that would otherwise be unable to achieve this objective.
Given that many people may be exposed to asbestos without even knowing it, the EESC called on the Commission to organise an information campaign to educate the public about asbestos and its harmful effects through all possible channels, including the media.

In the event that the risk of exposure is real or suspected, all workers should undergo checks with the results being documented, making sure their health is properly monitored and followed up every time they change job throughout their career. (ll)

The EESC at its December plenary welcomed the Commission's proposal for a directive on asset recovery and confiscation as an important step towards combatting money laundering and terrorist financing in the EU. Despite a general improvement in some of the Member States, the percentage of criminal assets that are frozen or confiscated remains extremely low across the EU.

The new directive improves cross-border cooperation between all authorities involved in asset recovery, encourages EU countries to develop national strategies and requires them to set up at least one Asset Recovery Office, a specialised body for tracing and identifying proceeds of crime and other crime-related property, the EESC said in its opinion on asset recovery and confiscation, adopted at the plenary session in December.

"We think the Commission's proposal is very good, as it responds to the need to broaden the scope of the confiscation mechanisms. It also establishes cross-border cooperation mechanisms to increase the rate of asset recovery. At the moment, the rates are very low, with only 2% of criminal assets frozen and only 1% confiscated," said the rapporteur for the opinion Ionuţ Sibian.

The new directive also adds a significant list of crimes to those contained in the Confiscation directive from 2014, including organ trafficking, kidnapping, environmental crimes and trafficking in stolen vehicles, to name but a few.

However, the EESC noted that the directive falls short of explicitly including migrant smuggling and illicit tobacco trade within its scope, despite the significant annual revenues of these criminal markets, worth an estimated EUR 289.4 million and EUR 8 309.3 million respectively, and urged the Commission to add them to the list.

The EESC also asked the Commission to be more ambitious regarding the social reuse of confiscated assets and to set a minimum percentage for social reuse for Member States.

"It is very important that affected communities get restorative damages directly and benefit from the returns from these damages. It is one area in which we expected developments, but there is a stagnation. Civil society has to be involved in managing and disposing of confiscated assets," Mr Sibian said.

Another EESC request was for the Commission to be more precise in setting out victims' rights to compensation. When ranking creditors, victims should be given priority, the Committee concluded. (ll)

The EESC welcomed the European Commission's initiatives for media freedom, but warned that mere recommendations and a soft-law approach would not be enough to ensure that the media in Europe remains free and independent from political, commercial and other types of interference.

In its opinion on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) (Proposal for a Regulation and Recommendation), the EESC pointed out that media freedom and diversity are fundamental for the rule of law and liberal democracy.

"Media freedom is in danger. Authoritarianism is on the rise, including in Europe. The fourth estate is a firewall against this illiberal onslaught. Therefore, strengthening media freedom is paramount and the EMFA is an important and very timely initiative," said the rapporteur for the opinion, Christian Moos.

"We are observing more and more political and economic interference in several EU countries, both in public and in private media with close links to power, which is incompatible with the role of media as the fourth estate," said co-rapporteur Tomasz Andrzej Wróblewski.

The EESC gave its full support to the proposals that strengthen and defend the editorial independence of journalists and publishers. It also placed particular focus on the independence and impartiality of public media, pointing out that adequate and stable financial resources were needed to achieve this.

Another alarming problem identified by the opinion is the threat to media pluralism resulting from market concentration. Information monopolies certainly constitute a threat and taking action is warranted against media capture by media moguls and oligarchs.

Media ownership should be transparent and transparency requirements should be binding, although this should not lead to an excessive administrative burden for small media outlets. The lack of independence of some national regulatory bodies is also worrying. If not fully independent, they should not participate in the proposed European Board for Media Services.

The EESC underscored that as a regulation, the EMFA will have direct effect. At the same time, it questioned whether the soft-law approach of the recommendation was an effective way of achieving the EMFA's objectives.

"Mere recommendations are not enough to guarantee media freedom and diversity in the Member States. Free and independent media must be binding criteria for the rule of law report and for triggering the mechanism in Member States where governments violate media freedom and independence", Mr Moos concluded. (ll)

Education can help transform societies from fossil-fuel based to circular and sustainable. In an own-initiative opinion adopted in December, the EESC calls for transformative education that empowers young people to contribute to the green transition.

Humanistic values should be at the heart of education for sustainable development (ESD), with a focus on the environmental and social consequences of human behaviour. This requires education to be redefined, from pre-school to university and beyond.

"Sustainability is not only about the environment. There are many aspects, and all 17 Sustainable Developments Goals are equally important. Education plays a crucial role as it is a key enabler for all other SDGs," said Tatjana Babrauskienė, rapporteur for the EESC opinion: Empowering youth to achieve sustainable development through education.

Critical thinking and informed decision-making should be taught in school, so that children can grapple with sustainable development issues. At a basic level, children should be taught about sustainable energy, consumption and production, reducing food waste and making responsible food choices.

A recently adopted report on the Evaluation of the EU school scheme makes additional recommendations on how to improve the school system in the interest of sustainable development. "Improving food education measures with class time devoted to the origin and value of food products and visits to farms and agri-food businesses could make the EU school scheme more effective and contribute to youth education on sustainable healthy eating," said the rapporteur Arnold Puech d'Alissac. The EESC also called for better use of funding for ESD, such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Erasmus+, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund Plus.

The implementation of ESD is currently at various stages across the Member States and will need to be tailored to local circumstances.

"We must lose no time in transforming education to ensure a sustainable future in the Member States, and it is key to actively include young people, teachers and parents in the process," said Ms Babrauskienė. (ks)

The maritime technology sector urgently needs policies and investment to take on international competition, the EESC said in a recent exploratory opinion. The focus should be placed on skills training, finance and market access.

If Europe fails to implement a specific maritime industrial strategy, it risks becoming increasingly dependent on Asia for ships and maritime equipment. Many European harbours are already owned, in part or wholly, by Chinese companies. A sustainable strategy should reassess this ownership structure.

"The EESC believes that immediate action is necessary to strengthen Europe's maritime resilience, regain global competitiveness, protect Europe's strong position in complex shipbuilding and safeguard Europe's strategic maritime autonomy," said Anastasis Yiapanis, rapporteur for the EESC opinion.

A maritime expert group and a European industrial alliance for the maritime technology sector should be established to help the sector regain its competitiveness.

Despite an EESC own-initiative opinion adopted in 2018, The LeaderSHIP 2020 strategy as a vision for the maritime technology industry, which called for stronger support for the maritime sector, EU and national authorities had failed to provide the necessary policies.

The EESC expressed concern about barriers facing European companies wanting to do business in Asia. It called on the European Commission to make greater efforts to establish global trade rules and said it needed to act against foreign subsidisation and the injurious pricing of vessels as a matter of priority.

Existing bilateral free-trade agreements should be updated to ensure free market access for EU maritime companies and this must be included in future agreements. If international negotiations to achieve this are unsuccessful, the EU needs to consider unilateral actions to create leverage over its international competitors.

In its opinion, the EESC also noted the important role of the maritime technology industry in achieving a sustainable blue economy.

"The EESC calls for urgent measures that stimulate domestic demand for green and high-tech vessels, including an EU programme for fleet renewal and the retrofitting of existing vessels, in line with European Green Deal goals," co-rapporteur Christophe Tytgat said.

The EESC said its social partners and local manufacturers had waited in vain for stimulus to encourage the sector to switch to "green" vessels, alternative fuels and technologies to comply with the Fit-for-55 package. However, it welcomed the adoption of the Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport partnership, which is working towards zero-emission shipping.

The EESC called for stronger financial support for the EU Pact for Skills and for campaigns to make the sector more attractive for all workers, from engineers to welders and electricians.  Large-scale reskilling, upskilling and VET programmes are needed to ensure the sector can implement the green and digital transitions, the EESC said. (ks)

A new social contract for Latin America is needed, ensuring political accountability, inclusion, social protection and quality employment, said the EESC in an own-initiative opinion on the post-COVID socio-economic situation in Latin America adopted last December. Freely and democratically organised civil societies are the best starting point.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit Latin America extremely hard, unveiling the weaknesses of the policies implemented over decades, which proved ineffective in facing the current challenges. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the economic turbulence by upsetting global delivery chains and contributing to increasing inflation.

The opinion, entitled "Socio-economic situation in Latin America following the Covid-19 crisis – the role of civil society in the recovery process", considers that the region needs a new social contract, which could be achieved through cross-cutting agreements between socio-economic groups, between regions and between generations.

Commenting on the role of civil society, EESC member and rapporteur for the opinion Josep Puxeu Rocamora stressed: "Europe and Latin America are committed to democracy and the rule of law, which means that civil society will be actively involved, playing a leading role in development and in overcoming crises, promoting the necessary dialogue for a new social contract".

Europe needs to strengthen its bonds with Latin America, especially focusing on the social, green and digital transitions. "We urgently need to invest in more efforts to build alliances with like-minded partners in Latin America," said Mr Puxeu Rocamora. "We have taken this relationship for granted for too long. We have to make an effort to catch up as we are facing strong competition from other actors right now".

This alliance requires the full recognition and participation of its organised civil societies, human rights organisations, trade union and business organisations, and environmental associations, said the EESC. (at)

At a meeting of the EESC held in Stockholm on 15 December, the Swedish State Secretary for EU Affairs Christian Danielsson outlined the political direction of the upcoming Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which has asked the EESC to provide input on six key issues.

Support for Ukraine and a focus on the EU's green transition and competitiveness would be among the watchwords of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January-June 2023, the EESC heard.

At a meeting of the bureau, the EESC's steering body, held in Stockholm on 15 November 2022, EESC president Christa Schweng emphasised that, with all the challenges ahead, the EU could only be successful by constantly involving European civil society organisations.

"Given the gloomy economic outlook for Europe, we need to set correct and clear priorities", she said. "Ensuring recovery and supporting businesses and people confronted with high inflation and especially high energy prices is of key importance for our economies, our societies, and our democracies."

Christian Danielsson, Swedish Secretary of State under the Ministry for EU Affairs, said: "We should not shy away from the fact that priorities are important, but the major task of the presidency will be the presidency itself: to move work forward and achieve results which are good for the citizens, the Member States and Europe. We will put enormous effort into it."

Mr Danielsson stressed that the Swedish Presidency would continue to help Ukraine with humanitarian assistance, as well as support for Ukraine's path towards the EU, and focus on improving the performance and competitiveness of the EU economy.

More specifically, the Swedish presidency would focus on:

• speeding up the climate transition
• strengthening the EU's competitiveness for the jobs of the future
• safeguarding the EU's fundamental values
• providing security for EU citizens and strengthening the EU's role in the world
• combating organised crime

The Swedish presidency has asked the EESC to provide its input and expert advice on the following topics, in the shape of "exploratory opinions":

• The Single Market at 30 – how to further improve the functioning of the Single Market
• The transition to a long-term sustainable transport system
• Young people's role in the green transition
• The advantages of modern industrial wooden construction
• Further enhancing the EU's digital competitiveness
• Competence and skills development in a context of the green and digital transition

More information can be found on the EESC's latest brochure "The EESC's activities during the Swedish presidency" available on our website. The brochure has been published in English, Swedish, French and German. (mp/dm)

By Stefano Mallia, President of the EESC Employers' Group

The first six months of 2023 are the right time to push for a competitiveness agenda to be made a top priority for the EU.

2022 has been an annus horribilis for Europe. At a time when Russia has brought war back to the European continent, assumptions and expectations of a lasting peace have been shattered in the wider European space.

One thing is crystal clear: without peace, there can be no prosperity. The Employers’ Group has been fully supportive of EU action to assist Ukraine in its time of need and to start work on rebuilding Ukraine, even before the war is over.

While we continue to invest energy in helping Ukraine, however, we have also continued in 2022 to push for the EU's recovery. We have been assertive in our work for the Conference on the Future of Europe to call for a more decisive focus on competitiveness, by establishing the good practice of having a competitiveness check to build a stronger and more resilient economy. The Commission and the EU presidencies have been very receptive to this call and that instrument is now being prepared. More importantly, it is becoming increasingly clear to all that the EU must adopt a Competitiveness Agenda that centres on the sustainability and strength of enterprise. Only in this way can we guarantee a heathy society in which we can afford to provide citizens with a good quality of life.

Looking towards 2023, we need to maintain the sense of urgency. We must step up efforts to develop an ambitious and forward-looking agenda that takes due account of the needs and concerns of business. The current situation calls for a number of fundamental objectives:

• Competitive access to the factors of production (energy, raw materials, labour, capital and data)
• Realise the full potential of the Single Market and its freedoms, by creating a fully-fledged Digital Single Market.
• Ensure that open and rules-based foreign trade is made another pillar of the EU economy.
• The green and digital transition - which we strongly support - must be achieved in a cost-effective way that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation

The first six months of 2023 are the right time to push for the competitiveness agenda to be made a top priority. In a world rife with uncertainty, there is one thing we can be sure of: without a prosperous and competitive Union, the social wellbeing of our society is at serious risk.

Read the full article here. (dv/kr)

By the EESC Workers' Group

An ILO exhibition displayed at the EESC last December presented the best cartoons from an ILO competition conveying the harrowing stories of people trapped in forced labour all over the world. 

A staggering 27.6 million people were in situations of forced labour according to ILO's estimates for 2021.

People are subjected to all sorts of intimidation compelling them to work against their will, such as deliberate withholding of wages, threats of dismissal, forced confinement, physical and sexual violence. The list is very long. The phenomenon is widespread across the world and the situation has worsened with the COVID pandemic. Among the most vulnerable are children, women and migrant workers. According to ILO estimates, women and girls make up 11.8 million of the total number of people in forced labour. More than 3.3 million of all those in forced labour are children.

But facts and figures don't fully communicate the human story behind them. This is why an exhibition was hosted at the EESC at the initiative of the Workers' Group President, Oliver Röpke, in collaboration with the ILO. It gathered the best cartoons from an ILO competition conveying the experience of those trapped in such intolerable working conditions all over the world. 

Such initiatives lead us to reflect upon the actions that can be taken to end this scourge, such as addressing decent work deficits in the informal economy, as urged by the ILO. An ongoing EESC opinion by Workers' Group rapporteur Thomas Wagnsonner focuses on the prohibition of products made with forced labour on the Union market. During the opening of the exhibition, Workers' Group President Oliver Röpke said: "While this exhibition makes clear the hardship of those in forced labour, it also explores what we can do when we work together and take firm action – and we are taking action. It is for this reason that we want to see the ratification of the 2014 protocol to the ILO forced labour convention by all EU Member States!" (mg)

By the EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group

On 14 December, members of the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the EESC re-elected Séamus Boland as group president for another two and a half years, by acclamation. 

Séamus Boland will chair the group for his second half-term, from April 2023 to September 2025. The Irishman, who is a farmer and represents an organisation for rural and community development at the Committee, has chaired the group since October 2020. Mr Boland has been a member of the Committee since 2011.

The eradication of poverty and the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in combating poverty will remain the overarching priority during his presidency.

"Poverty is heading for an all-time high as a consequence of COVID-19, climate change and the geopolitical turmoil due to the war in Ukraine. It affects all spheres of life and prevents us from achieving a sustainable future for all," said Séamus Boland. "Poverty eradication therefore remains the overriding priority of my presidency and civil society organisations play a pivotal role in combating poverty. CSOs help voice local concerns, define local needs and find local solutions. This is crucial for attaining the first Sustainable Development Goal, which is to eradicate extreme poverty everywhere."

For 2023, Séamus Boland proposes concentrating the work of the group on the following priority areas:

• Resilient European health and care systems;
• Climate change, energy poverty and vulnerable groups;
• Skills, digitalisation and vulnerable persons;
• The role of CSOs in defending and strengthening European democracy;
• Empowering young people and protecting children.

During its meeting, the Civil Society Organisations' Group also nominated candidates for other leadership positions at the Committee for the second half of the 2020-2025 term.

• Krzysztof Pater as EESC Vice-President in charge of the Budget
• Baiba Miltoviča as President of the Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and Information Society (TEN)
• Ioannis Vardakastanis as President of the Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO)
• Panagiotis Gkofas for Quaestor

These nominees will be confirmed by a vote during the Committee's mid-term renewal in April 2023.

To find out more, continue reading at: europa.eu/!mmX8NV (jk)