EESC info

Mikuláš Bek, Czech Minister for European Affairs, revealed the five likely political priorities for the upcoming Czech presidency of the Council of the EU, in an address to EESC members delivered in Prague on 28 April 2022.

Mr Bek disclosed the Czech presidency's expected political priorities at a meeting of the EESC Bureau, stressing that the spotlight would be on the green and digital transition but also, in the light of recent events, on security.

Under the motto "Europe as a task", taken from a speech by Czech former head of state Václav Havel in Aachen, the Czech EU presidency will focus on:

1) managing the refugee crisis and post-recovery in Ukraine;
2) energy security in Europe;
3) strengthening European defence capacity and cyberspace security;
4) strategic resilience of the European economy;
5) resilience of democratic institutions.

Referring to the developments in the crisis in Ukraine, he said that "ensuring access to affordable, sustainable but also reliable energy sources will be one of the biggest challenges which the EU has ever faced".

In the debate, EESC members urged the minister to increase the EU's and national governments' support to civil society organisations, saying that such organisations were right on the frontline in the humanitarian crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and needed urgent practical support.

European solidarity was another key thread in the discussion: members stressed that it would only be possible to stop energy imports from Russia if all EU Member States stuck together and shared available energy sources.

Several speakers also warned against disregarding social aspects during the Czech Council Presidency in the second half of 2022. With energy and food prices increasing, poverty was on the rise and was threatening social cohesion.

In a seminar held as part of the event, on an Optimal energy mix for sustainable and affordable energy, EESC president Christa Schweng pointed out that reducing the EU's energy dependency on third countries was essential. The way ahead was to diversify energy sources and step up investment on renewables.

"To ensure a successful transition, civil society organisations must play a key role in defining and implementing policies", she said. (mp)

The EESC has welcomed the European Commission’s proposal for a directive on improving working conditions in platform work, hailing the initiative as a much needed step towards setting clear and well-defined criteria for classifying employment relations and for governing the use of algorithms when recruiting and employing platform workers.

The EESC said that the use of a binding legal instrument, a directive, to regulate platform work was justified, as the extreme diversity of working conditions and legislation in each Member State often results in the poor treatment of platform workers and in a crumbling of national and EU labour protection standards. The opinion was adopted at its plenary session in March, with 149 votes in favour, 80 against and 17 abstentions.

The rapporteur for the opinion, Cinzia del Rio, said: We see clear examples of discrimination and unequal treatment of platform workers across the EU. The situation in Member States is extremely diverse – it's a regulatory jungle which needs to be disentangled. The proposed directive aims to provide a flexible regulatory framework, which can be adapted at the national level and which would take into account disparities in people's working conditions.

By far the most important issue is the legal classification of the employment relationship and its clear distinction from genuine self-employment. To this end, it is necessary to clearly identify the legally responsible employer, both to ensure proper payment of taxes and social contributions and to enable collective bargaining. In the EESC's view, however, the text of the Commission's proposal is too generic and vague on this issue, as well as on a number of other points, such as the rights of both workers and union representatives to information and consultation.

These legal uncertainties may in some situations favour the emergence and proliferation of undeclared forms of work and deplorable situations of exploitation and competition between the workers themselves, who might be under illegal subcontracting practices, said the EESC. 

The EESC's Employers Group submitted a counter opinion, which obtained more than 30% of the votes cast and was published as an Appendix to the adopted opinion. The Employers' Group opposed the use of a directive to regulate platform work, fearing such binding legislation would represent a "one-size-fits-all" solution. This may become a barrier for innovation and investment in the setting-up and development of digital platforms in the EU.

They also disagree with the introduction of a legal EU definition of who is a worker and who is self-employed on platforms as it would be unable to respect the different models used in different countries or keep up with dynamic developments in labour markets. (ll)
 

The EESC has called on EU Member States to step up their efforts and implement the EU directive providing for sanctions against employers of illegally staying third country nationals. In a recently adopted opinion, the EESC warned about the flawed transposition and implementation of the directive across the EU.

Often a source of labour exploitation, the employment of illegally staying migrants is also a pull factor for migrant smuggling; every year, this claims the lives of thousands of people embarking on dangerous journeys to reach Europe. Both criminal practices should be met with resolute action at national and EU level, says the EESC.

In its opinion, the EESC stressed that the severity of sanctions varies considerably between Member States and, in most cases, they do little to dissuade employers from hiring illegally staying third-country nationals. 

Another shortcoming of the directive is its inability to encourage migrants to file any official complaints against employers. This is due to migrants' often justified and legitimate fear that they will be returned to their countries of origin. We firmly support the Commission when it says it will launch infringement proceedings against Member States, should they persist in not providing all relevant information on the implementation of the key obligations on sanctions, inspections and protection of migrants' rights laid down in the Directive, said the rapporteur of the opinion, Carlos Manuel Trindade. 

In another opinion, the EESC analysed the renewed EU Action Plan against Migrant Smuggling (2021-2025). It welcomed its comprehensive approach to this issue, and hailed it as the continuation of its work to combat this dangerous and criminal activity. According to Europol figures, more than 90% of people who entered the EU illegally have travelled via smuggling networks at some point.

Combating migrant smuggling is considered a priority under the EU's New Pact on Migration and Asylum, as it has claimed the lives of thousands of migrant women, children and men. It violates their rights, taking advantage of people trying to enter the EU. It is also a threat to European security.

The fight against migrant smuggling can never be directed against the migrants themselves or against humanitarian aid and help for them. There must be no criminalisation of solidarity, said the rapporteur of the opinion José Antonio Moreno Diaz. We understand that safeguarding the EU's external borders is a priority, but they must be always protected with respect for human rights. (ll)

In its opinion Improving environmental protection through criminal law, adopted at its March plenary session, the EESC suggested the EU should impose criminal sanctions on as many environmental offences as possible.

The report looked into the proposed new EU Environmental Crime Directive (ECD) and suggested practical ways to make it truly effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

The EESC welcomed the extension of the list of environmental criminal offences from nine to eighteen, but believes the directive should cover as many types of environmental offence as possible. It is also of the view that the maximum limits for sanctions should be substantially higher for these to be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

A further proposal made in the report is for environmental crimes to be under the jurisdiction of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, since many of them are known to have links to organised crime.

The EESC is also calling for the crime of ecocide to be inscribed in the directive, and to be defined as "an unlawful or wanton act committed in the full knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment". The EESC notes that armed conflicts are practically always, by definition, ecocides. 

Environmental crime is the fourth most lucrative crime category globally and is on the increase in the EU. While cross-border convictions have not grown substantially, the rate of environmental crimes committed in Europe has gone up.
The EESC stresses that overhauling the directive is not enough. One of the weaknesses flagged up in assessments of the current directive is implementation in the Member States. The EESC therefore highlights the need to strengthen the enforcement chain and suggests EU Member States should set up specialised police forces, prosecutors, judges and courts in the area of environmental crime.

The 2008 Environmental Crime Directive is the main binding instrument in place in the EU to tackle environmental crime. An evaluation conducted in 2019 and 2020 showed that it did not have much effect on the ground. Over the past decade, the number of environmental crime cases successfully investigated and sentenced has remained low, the sanctions imposed were insufficiently dissuasive and there has been no systematic cross-border cooperation. Following the evaluation, the Commission decided to replace it with a new EU Directive. (mr)
 

The European Union has an obligation to defend our fundamental values, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. For this reason, the EESC strongly supported the establishment of the European Commission's Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life at its March plenary.

The EESC firmly believes that antisemitism is a test of the European idea, the rule of law, fundamental rights, and democracy, explains rapporteur Ákos Topolánszky.

The Committee applauds the strategy for seeking not only to address antisemitism but also to foster Jewish life, and work towards public policies and community cooperation promoting mutual acceptance.

The EESC deems it essential to understand the roots and causes of all forms of violence against Jewish individuals and communities in order to be able to take effective action, not only through the criminal justice system, but also through a more effective system of action at community and societal level. 

Moreover, as an integral part of European identity, Jewish culture must be made more accessible to citizens and the general public. The Committee calls on EU institutions, Member States and social partners to properly present and celebrate the Jewish community's role in the EU as an essential and inalienable part of a common culture.

The Committee believes that all constitutional and EU legal instruments should be consistently used to tackle antisemitic content in the media, while improving knowledge and understanding of Jewish life through more balanced and sensitive reporting. 

In most cases, the representation of Jewish communities and their members on traditional and social media is very limited, focusing primarily on the impact of antisemitic violence and terrorism. However, there is also a need to present positive content beyond this as recognition of the importance of social coexistence. 

As a final point, the EESC encourages the European Commission to give the fight against antisemitism and the strategic agenda for the promotion of Jewish life a strong external dimension, in all aspects of cooperation with third countries and international organisations. The Committee points to our neighbourhood policy and development cooperation instruments, as well as the instruments for bringing EU candidate countries closer to the EU, as appropriate mechanisms for combating antisemitism and promoting Jewish life. (gb)

The EESC supports the Commission's proposed measures to fight the misuse of shell companies and set up a minimum effective corporate taxation, but would like to see them beefed up. In two opinions adopted at its March plenary, the EESC flagged up possible shortcomings and suggested key additions. 

Ensuring effective and fair taxation across the single market is crucial to stimulating a real recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic and financing the digital and green transition. In the two opinions, the EESC welcomed the Commission's proposals to fight the use of shell companies to evade taxation and introduce a minimum effective taxation of companies, but pointed to possible gaps and suggested key additional measures. 

Benjamin Rizzo, rapporteur for the opinion on fighting the use of shell entities, said: "Shell companies that have been set up in Member States need to be brought into line with the Commission proposal, and collaboration between Member States is more imperative than ever to avoid eroding the EU's fiscal powers". 

Javier Doz Orrit, co-rapporteur for the opinion, said: "If the directive against shell companies complements the Commission's anti money laundering legislative package, a rule against 'professional enablers' running shell companies should further complement it". 

Krister Andersson, rapporteur for the opinion on a minimum effective taxation of companies, said: "The OECD is expected to present important rules concerning safe harbours, simplified administrative filing and other important points. These rules should be included in the directive as well. It is critical that the legislation be transposed in a uniform fashion in the EU and applied equally and at the same time worldwide". 

Petru Sorin Dandea, co-rapporteur for the opinion, said: "The EESC would have appreciated an impact assessment for the parts of the directive that make it compliant with EU law. We call for such an analysis to be undertaken and to be made publicly available". (tk)
 

The New European Bauhaus puts a cultural and creative dimension at the heart of the European Green Deal and the renovation wave, providing a springboard for the green transition. With these words, EESC President Christa Schweng summed up the EESC's position on this new Commission initiative when she met the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, at the EESC plenary session on 23 March 2022.

"We fully agree with the aim of providing all citizens with access to goods that are circular and less carbon-intensive in their places of living, work, public buildings and housing through practical experiences," said Ms Schweng. Stressing the importance of involving civil society organisations and looking to the future, she added: "The EESC is ready to be actively involved in the participatory approach of the New European Bauhaus movement in order to ensure a fruitful dialogue with citizens and civil society, providing solutions for and improving their daily lives."

Referring to the severe consequences of the pandemic and the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Ms Gabriel underlined the importance of such projects today: "I think it is more important than ever to be able to see hope in our future, to continue to work together for this. And that is exactly what the New European Bauhaus represents. The EESC is an essential partner for its success. Together, we will make sure that it is put into practice in a way that is as close as possible to local communities, European citizens and their homes."

The Commissioner judged the participatory approach to be "crucial for maintaining dialogue with citizens," adding: "it is precisely this idea of co-creation and cooperation that inspired our initiative". She praised the EESC's proposals, such as the suggestion to set up a civil society platform to provide support at local level and to hold a dedicated conference during the European Bauhaus Festival on 9-12 June 2022. Another important step will be the launch in April 2022 of the New European Bauhaus Lab, a reflection and action group on co-creation, prototyping and testing. (mp)

The EESC adopted an opinion on the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) at its March plenary session, welcoming the Commission's take up of issues highlighted in previous EESC opinions.

Commenting on the adoption of the document, the rapporteur Mordechaj Martin Salamon said that "the EESC wholeheartedly welcomes the EU approach as it boosts renovation of the worst-performing buildings in particular and sets the European Union on a path of decarbonised heating and cooling: measures at EU level are more efficient at accelerating the necessary transition."

The updated Directive on energy performance of buildings aims to help achieve an energy-efficient, high quality and fossil-free built environment, providing the tools to effectively tackle energy poverty and remedy structural long-term underinvestment in construction.

The recent sharp increases in energy prices and the prospect of high prices for at least the medium term have shown that it is more important than ever to put a strategy in place to alleviate and eradicate energy poverty. 

In 2018, 6.8% of people across the EU (approximately 30.3 million) were unable to keep up with utility bills and at risk of having their supply cut off; recent developments have made this problem worse. 

To secure decent, affordable and healthy housing for all, the EU should implement long-term measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, including the safe removal of asbestos. This is all the more urgent because fossil fuel-based heating and cooling will become more expensive with the rising costs of EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) allowances. (mp)

Fair procedures and dialogue with local communities will make Europeans aware of the benefits of the energy transition, motivating them to participate in it, says the EESC in an opinion adopted at the March plenary session.

Building mutual trust with all stakeholders is essential to making the energy and low-carbon transition socially acceptable, stressed the EESC in its opinion "What conditions are needed for the energy and low-carbon transition to be socially acceptable?". 

"All energy transition-related measures require open communication and full participation as early on in the project development phase as possible and at all appropriate levels, from the EU to local government," said rapporteur Arnaud Schwartz.

Co-rapporteur Jean Coulon said: "Support from civil society is extremely important to secure the community's ownership, as local organisations can contribute to the public debate more easily and use scientific data to fight any false ideas that might circulate."

The European Union needs the energy transition because it is cleaner and individually and collectively fairer. It will also be cheaper for citizens in the long term. However, it requires individual and collective changes and, in the short term, decarbonising may entail higher costs for producers and higher prices for consumers.

It is therefore key that the population and all stakeholders strengthen their mutual trust and accept the transformation and its technical changes, from planning to implementation. To achieve this, the process has to be independent, transparent and inclusive, information provided should be of a high quality and easily accessible, and decision-makers should be accountable. (mp)

The proposed update of the regulation on trans-European transport networks is needed and welcome, if the EU is really to contribute to sustainability and to smart mobility, including through rail. This was the main message of the opinion on the Revision of the TEN-T and Rail Freight Corridor Regulation adopted at the March plenary session.

The new regulation will upgrade the existing regulatory framework that dates back to 2013 and will help achieve, on the infrastructure side, the goals set in the Green Deal, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and the Rail Action Plan. 

Commenting on the adoption of the opinion, Mr Back said: It was high time to propose a new regulation that takes into consideration the current policy context and capitalises on the lessons learned in the past few years. The plan to strengthen the rules on TEN-T implementation is very good news, because the roll-out of the current regulation has seen significant delays and has not been satisfactory.

The Committee values in particular the European Commission's intention to put cohesion at the heart of the proposal. This means ensuring accessibility and connectivity in all EU regions for both passenger and freight traffic when implementing the network. Moreover, the new regulation should also bring about efficient coordination and interconnection between, on the one hand, long-distance, regional and local traffic and, on the other, transport in urban nodes.

From a technical point of view, the EESC is in favour of increasingly harmonising the infrastructure requirements of the "core" and "comprehensive" networks and fixing milestones: 2030 for the implementation of the core network, 2040 for the "extended core network" and 2050 for the comprehensive network. With reference to the 2030 deadline, the EESC reiterates the feasibility doubts raised in its 2020 evaluation report, but considers that the deadline should be maintained to bring pressure to bear on the Member States. (mp)

In a recent own-initiative opinion, the EESC proposed establishing a European agency to make up for the shortcomings of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which no longer seemed capable of responding to climate change-related disasters and multiple catastrophes, such as the current war in Ukraine. 

The agency, as proposed by the EESC, would link civil protection and humanitarian aid more consistently, and could pave the way for stronger foreign policy action.

Despite the reinforcement and legal adaptation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) in May 2021, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the urgent need to further improve the mechanism and connect civil protection and humanitarian aid in a more coherent way.

Christophe Quarez, rapporteur for the opinion on Consolidating EU Civil Protection, commented: With all these new challenges, and especially with the war in Ukraine, we feel that the mechanism does not have enough or sufficiently efficient tools. The proposal for the creation of a European civil protection and humanitarian aid agency will help the Ukrainian population and it will better address other issues related to disasters and humanitarian crisis situations.

Violeta Jelić, co-rapporteur for the opinion, added: Civil protection needs to be better recognised and valued by all participant countries in this pure act of solidarity and sense of belonging.

The EESC also considers that the diplomatic dimension of EU civil protection is not sufficiently developed. Given that the European Union has been a leader in sending humanitarian aid to neighbouring countries, the civil protection mechanism can become a powerful tool in the EU's foreign policy toolbox.

The EESC has also proposed a legislative amendment to authorise automatic and immediate responses under the mechanism in the event of a man-made disaster or crisis, whether inside or outside EU territory. (at)

On 29 March the EESC held the first European Civil Society Forum on trade and sustainable development (TSD), bringing together civil society, academia, EU and international institutions to discuss innovative ideas and concrete recommendations on the future of EU trade policy. 

Taking place at a critical time for trade and sustainable development, the event involved a series of breakout sessions which covered issues ranging from substantive rights to monitoring, enforcement and much more, inviting participants to voice their views as part of the ongoing review of the 15-point action plan on TSD and recent developments in EU partner countries. 

"The EESC commits to being a driving force for an ambitious TSD debate that reflects the high expectations of civil society", Committee President Christa Schweng reaffirmed. She also referred to the geopolitical challenges of our times: The war in Ukraine, like so many others, has a sustainability dimension: it is about resources and dependencies in a world impacted by climate change.

Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament International Trade committee, underlined that the global framework had changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian aggression. The multilateral system is in danger, he said, and it is clear that more emphasis should be given to bilateral trade agreements.

Luisa Santos from Business Europe shared the view that there is a crisis in multilateralism, but added: We should not give up, because we need the multilateral institutions to maintain the dialogue, pointing to a number of recent environmental initiatives at World Trade Organization (WTO) level. 

Anaïs Berthier from Client Earth believed that EU trade policy was too isolated from other policies, such as environment and climate policies. She stressed that: Autonomous initiatives undertaken must guarantee that the products put on the EU market meet sustainability criteria. 

Maria Martin-Prat, deputy director-general for Trade at the European Commission, who is leading the ongoing work on the TSD review, said coherence would not be the goal, but that it is what is effective and makes the change. 

Jean-Marie Paugam, deputy director-general at the WTO, stressed that trade should not be an obstacle to environment policies. "For sustainable development, we have a trade measures notifications mechanism and we have seen that massive trade measures have been leveraged to environment objectives". 

Tanja Buzek, chair of the EESC Follow-up Committee on International Trade and rapporteur of the EESC opinion on the TSD review, set the bar high on expectations saying that "our priorities on the TSD review should be met with a fresh mindset, which also means breaking down the silos". An ambitious review must feature a revamped sanctionable enforcement approach with stronger civil society monitoring, using innovative instruments and enhancing the leverage for TSD. (at)
 

In a recent report, the EESC said civil society organisations should be closely involved in negotiating new free trade agreements under the new EU trade policy. 

The EESC firmly believes that civil society organisations and the social partners should be given a seat in negotiations for the new EU trade strategy. This will help ensure that the benefits of this policy are genuinely distributed among all participants, both in the EU and in the partner countries. 

In February 2021, the European Commission laid out a new open, sustainable and assertive trade policy, with the EU getting tougher on its trading partners and giving sustainability centre stage. The EESC feels, however, that there are a number of prerequisites for the implementation of this policy.

In an own-initiative opinion adopted at the EESC March plenary, the representatives of civil society organisations pointed out that a new framework for free trade and investment agreements is needed, in order to include civil society organisations and at the same time raise public awareness.

Stefano Palmieri, EESC member and rapporteur for the opinion, highlighted that A new negotiating methodology is needed, one able to establish a new roadmap which will ensure that civil society organisations and social partners are actively involved throughout negotiations.

The EESC has been critical of the various negotiation tools used by the EU, and believes that it is time to devise a new negotiating strategy, with new standards and procedures to ensure the broad and constructive involvement of civil society and the social partners. The first step towards this would be the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the negotiating parties, which would guarantee that both parties complete the various stages of the negotiations. The second step is the thorough reform of the Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs). The opinion suggests that every agreement signed must comprise a protocol on the workings of the DAGs.

This dual reform process will build on the new EU trade policy and help deliver on its objectives. (at)

Eight concrete proposals were handed to Věra Jourová, European Commission's Vice-President for Values and Transparency, by secondary school students from all over Europe. The students were taking part in the virtual youth event Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS2022). Entitled "The truth about lies. Youth challenging disinformation", the event was hosted by the EESC on 31 March-1 April 2022. 

After two days of lively virtual discussions and debates, the 99 students aged 16-18 participating in #YEYS2022 came up with a set of specific recommendations, which they presented to and discussed with Vice-President Věra Jourová.

"Education is key to increasing the resilience of our society against disinformation and fake news," said Ms Jourová closing the event Your Europe, Your Say 2022. Vice-President Jourová thoroughly addressed all of the students' recommendations.and discussed them one by one with the students. "Disinformation is a threat to our society, especially in times of war. We must tackle it while preserving freedom of speech," she said. 

The goal of #YEYS2022 was to raise awareness of the dangers of disinformation and to encourage the students to become more active in the fight against fake news. During the event, the youngsters were trained to detect disinformation easily and act against it. They worked in small groups and different workshops and developed a disinformation campaign, which later had to be tackled through a strong information counter-campaign.   

The students were welcomed by Christa Schweng, President of the EESC, who said: "Fake news is constantly being spread in an attempt to undermine European values and democracy. #YEYS2022 is an opportunity for youth to develop critical thinking and learn about tools to fight disinformation. Young people are key to shaping a better future for Europe."

Cillian Lohan, EESC Vice-President for communication, closed the event with these remarks: "As representatives of civil society, we'd like to meet more with our youth, hear their open-minded approaches and blend our concerns with their imagination and vision for the future". 

YEYS2022 has been flagged as one of the main events taking place during the European Year of Youth 2022.

Further details about YEYS 2022 are available on the event's official page. (ks)
 

The EESC celebrated Europe Day 2022 on 7 May with a twin focus on youth and support for Ukraine.

The EESC joined other EU bodies and institutions in Brussels to mark Europe Day and shared the common focus on youth and Ukraine.

While youth was the main theme in this European Year of Youth, a strong call to support and stand with Ukraine was conveyed in parallel by the EESC in a special dedicated page set up for this online event.

Europe Day is held every year in Brussels and elsewhere in the EU to commemorate Robert Schuman's historic declaration of 9 May 1950. It is a chance to look back at what the EU has achieved through peace, cooperation and solidarity and forward to what we hope to achieve in the future. On this day, the EU invites citizens from across Europe to learn how its institutions work and what it can do for them.

Discover more here. (ck)