EESC info

On 1 July 2021 Slovenia took on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, at a time when Europe is looking to recover, build back better and emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Slovenia's second presidency since its accession to the EU in 2004 will run under the slogan "Together. Resilient. Europe.", three words symbolising its main priorities. In the words of the Slovenian presidency itself: "Working together, supporting each other and acting in solidarity for the good of each and every European citizen will be key to strengthening the EU’s resilience."

The Slovenian presidency's programme focuses on four priorities:

• enhancing the EU`s resilience to various forms of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and continuing the work of the preceding German and Portuguese presidencies on strengthening the EU's cyber resilience;
• managing economic and social recovery after the pandemic while facilitating the transition to more technologically-advanced and environmentally-friendlier forms of economy;
• promoting the Conference on the Future of Europe, which will be the central topic of the Bled Strategic Forum in early September, expected to be attended by a huge range of participants from various European institutions.
• securing and strengthening the European way of life, including respect for the rule of law.

By pursuing these priorities, Slovenia will strive for a credible and secure European Union, capable of ensuring security and stability in its neighbourhood. Special attention will be devoted to the Western Balkans and credibly pursuing their EU enlargement process. In October 2021 Slovenia plans to host the informal EU–Western Balkans Summit. The EESC's Western Balkans Civil Society Forum, to be organised at the end of September, will contribute to the Summit with specific recommendations from organised civil society.

The EESC will ensure that the voice of organised civil society is heard through five exploratory opinions, requested by the Slovenian presidency, on topics ranging from adult learning to fair food supply chains. These exploratory opinions are:

• Adult learning;
• Key components of sustainable quality work during and after recovery;
• Exploiting the economic and social opportunities of digitalisation and improving the digital transformation of the economy, especially SMEs, focusing on human-centered artificial intelligence and data;
• Upgrading inclusive, secure and trustworthy digitalisation for all;
• Towards a Fair Food Supply Chain.

The EESC is looking forward to working with the Slovenian government on joint initiatives and events, and to supporting the Slovenian presidency through its extended network of European organised civil society. The Committee is delighted to see that it has already been invited to the Conference on the Future of Europe Round Tables planned in Slovenia, and to the Bled Strategic Forum.

More info about Slovenian presidency is available here:

https://slovenian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/  (st)

The president of the European Economic and Social Committee, Christa Schweng, kicked off the Committee's official activities relating to the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) with a live Q&A session. #CoFoE - Bringing the European project back to citizens set out organised civil society's views and expectations regarding the Conference. It also highlighted the importance of engaging with people outside the Brussels bubble and brainstormed in preparation for the upcoming citizens' consultations.

EESC president Christa Schweng said that the Committee will conduct outreach initiatives in all Member States so as to guarantee fair representativeness: ''We will involve employers, workers and the whole of organised civil society and convey their points of view to the Conference on the Future of Europe''.  She also referred to the recently adopted EESC resolution proposing a new narrative for Europe.

Commission vice-president Dubravka Šuica said that ''Politics has changed in the European Union. For the first time ever, the Conference brings citizens into the heart of policy-making in the European Union. Through the Conference, citizens and civil society can together claim ownership of their future European Union''.

MEP Eva Maydell stressed that ''our job is to make the Conference on the Future of Europe meaningful for citizens''

The EESC's work on a new narrative for Europe was led by the presidents of the three groups that make up the Committee: Stefano Mallia (Employers), Oliver Röpke (Workers) and Séamus Boland (Diversity Europe).

Cillian Lohan, EESC vice-president responsible for communication, rounded off the discussion by saying that the EESC consultations on the Conference on the Future of Europe will reach every corner of Europe and be as wide-ranging as possible.

The Conference plans to have its conclusions ready by the spring of 2022 and the EU institutions will then reflect on what Europeans have been saying.

Watch the #CoFoE - Bringing the European project back to citizens kick-off event on the EESC's Twitter account @EU_EESC  or on Facebook.  (ks)

At the EESC June plenary Frans Timmermans announced measures to shield the most vulnerable from the possible extension of carbon pricing to heating and transport fuels, and heard the EESC's proposals to improve corporate decision-making on the green transition through social dialogue.

Welcoming the European Commission Executive Vice-President, Frans Timmermans EESC President Christa Schweng said: "The Green Deal is an ambitious growth strategy for the EU to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and provide economic impetus, but the social, labour, health and equity dimensions should be strengthened to ensure that no person, community, worker, sector or region is left behind."

Mr Timmermans said that the social dimension of the green transition was the Commission's prime concern, as the pandemic had blown social disparities out of proportion. He described the main elements of the Fit for 55 package to be released on 14 July.

The package would "hardwire social fairness into the new proposals", said Mr Timmermans, by:

• sharing the burden of climate action fairly between industries, governments and individuals, and
• introducing a social mechanism to help soften the impact on the most vulnerable of measures such as the possible extension of emissions trading to heating and transport fuels.

"We must protect vulnerable households against potential price increases for heating and transport fuels, especially in regions where clean options aren’t readily available," said Mr Timmermans. " So if we were to introduce emissions trading for these fuels, that means we must also take our commitment to social fairness a step further. Any proposal on emissions trading in these new sectors must come with a proposal for the social impact at the same time."

As part of the debate, Mr Timmermans heard the EESC's contribution to shaping a social deal integral to the Green Deal. The proposals, set out by rapporteur Norbert Kluge in an opinion entitled No Green deal without a social deal focused on stronger worker participation in corporate decision-making and on corporate social responsibility.

"We believe that by bringing in the workers' voice we can improve the quality of economic decisions that companies make in transitioning to a green model", said Mr Kluge.

"Worker information, consultation and board-level participation tend to favour a more long-term approach and improve the quality of decision-making in an economic reform agenda." said Mr Kluge.

However, the EESC stresses that a social deal as an essential part of a green deal is not just related to work. It is about income, social security and fiscal support for all who need it, including those without any access to work at all. (dm)

The EU's top priorities for the near future must include putting the European economy back on track to deliver a sustainable transition and bring prosperity to Europe's people and businesses. This is the main thrust of the Resolution on the EESC's contribution to the European Commission's 2022 Work Programme, adopted at the EESC's June plenary session.

The two watchwords after the pandemic should be recovery and reconstruction, says the EESC in the resolution. Both investment and reforms must be rolled out to overcome the economic and social crisis and reinforce Europe's resilience to future shocks, which should be based on inclusive and sustainable growth, decent work and social justice.

The main pillars should be:

• unlocking the full potential of the Single Market;
• achieving the Sustainable Development Goals;
• creating a circular economy and achieving climate neutrality by 2050;
• ensuring good governance and democratic accountability.

Commenting on the adoption of the Resolution, Christa Schweng, EESC president, said "I trust that the EESC's recommendations, which we have delivered well in advance, will provide valuable input into the forthcoming Commission work programme. The Committee remains fully committed to supporting the Commission's six headline ambitions and to fulfilling its role by facilitating dialogue within civil society and with the European institutions in order to turn these ambitions into reality".

Ms Schweng added that the participation of all citizens, through civil society organisations, would put the process of recovery and reshaping the future of Europe on a truly democratic basis: "I count on the Commission to take on board the proposals of European organised civil society when setting next year's priorities." (mp)

With cancer set to become the leading cause of death in the EU, Europe's Beating Cancer Plan is certainly timely. The EESC welcomes this plan which is a milestone in the fight against cancer. However, unresolved forms of regional and social inequality mean that there is still room for improvement.

The EESC strongly supports the Commission's new EUR 4 billion plan to fund action on cancer, the first strategy document since 1990 to focus on the fight against this scourge.

"The EU needs a new Marshall Plan for oncology and this is a step in the right direction. We must not waste this chance", stressed Małgorzata Anna Bogusz, rapporteur for the EESC's opinion on Europe's beating cancer plan.

"The plan is fit for purpose as it covers many key aspects of the fight against cancer", said Milena Angelova, co-rapporteur for the opinion.

Cancer mortality and morbidity are correlated with the type of cancer, the patient's location and their social gradient. Attention must focus on regional infrastructure disparities and social imbalances in terms of employment and gender.

The EESC encourages the Member States to be proactive, and emphasises the need for effective prevention of occupational forms of cancer, calling for more research into exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and endocrine disruptors and the causes of occupational cancer, particularly in women.

Last but not least, the opinion emphasises the key role to be played by the social partners and civil society organisations when it comes to raising awareness and promoting healthy lifestyle campaigns. (at)

The European Economic and Social Committee has pledged its ongoing commitment to working together with the European Commission and other EU institutions on upholding and implementing the EU's core values, notably the rule of law, fundamental rights and democracy.

In a debate on European values with European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, held at its plenary session on 10 June, the EESC asked for stronger democratic involvement of civil society organisations and citizens at EU level, with the aim of expanding their participation beyond elections and enabling a meaningful civil dialogue. EESC members also placed particular emphasis on recognising social and economic rights as fundamental rights in the EU.

At the plenary, the EESC presented and adopted its opinions on the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP) and the New strategy for the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, in which it threw its support behind the Commission's recent initiatives aimed at protecting democratic values and citizens' rights in the EU.

The EESC president Christa Schweng said: "There are challenges to EU values everywhere; they cannot be taken for granted, even in countries with long-standing democratic traditions. Civil society expects a lot in terms of EU response, and wants to be actively involved in national and European discussions around the defence of these values."

Mr Reynders said: "Many of the problems will need a whole-of-society approach and international cooperation, in a coordinated effort by governments, civil society, researchers and fact-checkers, the private sector, media and citizens. I welcome the fruitful cooperation with your Committee in this regard."

In the opinion on the Charter strategy, the EESC called for measures to protect and support civil society organisations, which should include an alert mechanism for identifying and reporting harassment. It asked for social partners to be given more of a role in promoting and implementing the rights laid down by the Charter.

In its opinion on the EDAP, the EESC recommended that the Commission add a special pillar dedicated to the involvement of civil society and social partners and the promotion of labour democracy. It said it regretted that the EDAP had failed to address the important role of social dialogue and collective bargaining in reducing inequalities and encouraging Europeans to embrace democratic ideals. (ll)

The 10th ECI Day, dedicated to the European Citizens' Initiative, took place exceptionally online and over two days. EESC president Christa Schweng, European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová and European Parliament Vice-President Pedro Silva Pereira assessed the state of this unique instrument of participatory democracy.

In her introductory remarks, Ms Schweng stressed that one key feature of every participatory process is its impact: "A lack of impact can create disenchantment, disengagement and frustration among citizens." She added: "It is only by increasing its impact that the ECI will become a strong tool that is able to reconnect the EU with its citizens."

So far, only six initiatives have managed to reach the required signature thresholds since 2012 and their impact has been quite limited and late in coming. However, there are reasons for optimism because 2021 saw the first two pieces of legislation inspired by ECIs take effect: the Drinking Water Directive, which was influenced by the Right2Water initiative, and the so-called Transparency Regulation, which is a follow-up to the Ban glyphosate initiative.

In her video message, Ms Jourová drew attention to the changes and improvements introduced by the new ECI Regulation, which entered into force in January 2020. She then explained that the real impact of ECI initiatives goes beyond legislative follow-up: "Even initiatives that do not reach the final formal steps of the process can have multiple impacts," she said. "From the moment citizens start an ECI, they bring the issue they care about into the public space. And this generates awareness and produces effects."

Mr Silva Pereira said that the European Parliament was still leading the debate on how to raise awareness of the ECI and how to improve the way it works: "It is important to ensure that if an initiative manages to reach the final stage, it is taken seriously into consideration and addressed properly." (na)

With an annual expenditure accounting for around 14% (or EUR 2 trillion) of the EU's overall GDP, governments are Europe's biggest consumers. Their expenditure stems mainly from public tenders to purchase the works, services and supplies they need from companies.

Considerable work has been done in the EU over the past few years to encourage public authorities to embrace more sustainable consumption patterns, looking beyond short-term needs to the longer-term impacts of each purchase.

The European Commission has since 2017 issued guidance in the form of Green Public Procurement criteria, phasing in circular economy elements to close energy and material loops in supply chains, while minimising negative environmental impacts and waste creation.

However, these measures have had a limited impact because compliance is voluntary. The EESC believes it is time to introduce mandatory minimum Green Public Procurement criteria and to give the circular economy a strong boost through procurement directives and sector-specific legislation.

Circular public procurement will allow administrations to move beyond the lowest price criterion at the time of purchase.

"Procurement is often controversial because the selection criteria for projects are all too often very one-sided, with no consideration for lifecycle impact or what a project achieves", says Mr Wyckmans. "The idea that the lowest price should be the only allocation criterion should be abandoned in favour of 'value for money', which encompasses innovation, quality of products and services, sustainability, greening and social impact."

The European Commission has already developed a number of life-cycle costing (LCC) templates which are freely available for procurers to check against products and services. These tools allow public authorities to consider the lifecycle costs of the product, work or service, from purchase through operation and maintenance to end-of-life. These should now be upgraded, says the EESC, to include the cost of carbon.

The EESC also believe it is vital to ensure that SMEs have a chance to bid for circular public contracts and get the help they need. They offer enormous potential but are in danger of being sidelined owing to the complexity of the procedure. Only if the necessary support is provided can they contribute to local and human-oriented tenders. (dm)

The EESC welcomes the Commission's initiative on binding pay transparency, but considers that the proposed directive should be strengthened in several areas and further measures taken to address the root causes of the gender pay gap.

In its opinion adopted on 9 June, the EESC welcomes the Commission's proposal for a directive on binding pay transparency measures, which will help workers to enforce their right to equal pay in cases where they have been victims of pay discrimination.

However, the EESC considers that the proposed directive needs to be strengthened in a number of areas, including the criteria used to determine the value of work, the scope of some transparency measures and the role of social partners and collective bargaining.

The "equal pay for equal work" principle applies to "categories of workers" which, under the Commission proposal, are specified by the employer. The EESC believes that it is crucial for there to be mechanisms to ensure that categories of workers are determined in a gender-neutral way, involving trade unions and workers' representatives, in accordance with national law and practice.

Further measures aimed at addressing the structural issues at the root of the gender pay gap should also include guaranteeing adequate and accessible childcare, awareness-raising initiatives, ensuring better representation of women in decision-making positions, and eliminating tax-related disincentives to women's employment. The full web story is available here. (na)

The EU needs to set ambitious economic objectives to strengthen the euro. This has become even more important given the pace of change in the global economy and the EU's current position in terms of innovation, competitiveness and fostering an investment-friendly regulatory environment.

In an opinion adopted at its June 2021 plenary session, the EESC welcomed the European Commission's Communication on The European economic and financial system: fostering openness, strength and resilience. As the post-pandemic transformation is causing a significant shift in the global balance of economic power, the EU should act swiftly to increase Europe's economic resilience. In particular, the EESC agrees with the need to strengthen the international role of the euro as a key tool for enhancing Europe's global position.

Tomasz Wróblewski was rapporteur for the EESC opinion. He thinks that the Commission should focus more on the reasons for the euro's weakening international role. "The global position of the euro is diminishing, but not as rapidly as that of the dollar," he said. "This does not change the fact that the position of the euro is affected by different things. Firstly, the lack of an integrated, common market for financial services. Without the completion of the Banking Union and of the Capital Markets Union it will be hard for us to compete with the dollar."

The EESC also recommends paying more attention to the rapidly growing economy of China and calls for an action plan that takes this into account. The role of the Chinese renminbi is growing in international trade and clearing. China is also working intensively on its digital currency, leaving most of the world behind. The EU must respond quickly and the EESC supports the proposal to create a digital euro. "In this domain," points out Mr Wróblewski, "Europe may have more attractive solutions, given our commitment to the protection of personal data and user privacy." (na)

The involvement of organised civil society is far from satisfactory in most EU countries, warned the EESC at the annual conference of its European Semester Group, held remotely on 31 May.

The conference on Building a resilient Europe – Civil society and the National Recovery and Resilience Plans saw contributions from key speakers from EU institutions, National Economic and Social Councils, think tanks and EU civil society organisations. It focused on three topics: the involvement of organised civil society in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs), the just transition towards a green, digital and sustainable European economy and the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Committee president Christa Schweng opened the debate by stressing the challenge of transforming this crisis into a set of new possibilities. One particular challenge is to successfully unlock the potential of the Recovery and Resiliency Facility: "Most Member States did not engage in sufficient consultation with organised civil society, or did so too late", noted Ms Schweng. "The situation now is a series of National Recovery and Resilience Plans that vary substantially in quality and methodology and we really wonder whether the plans are actually meeting the needs on the ground".

Tiziano Treu, president of the Italian National Economic and Social Council (CNEL), said that the role of the Conference on the Future of Europe was to outline a new form of European governance, which needs to be simplified and made more effective, and must include proper rules to ensure the involvement of organised civil society.

European Semester Group vice-president Luca Jahier said: "A stronger 'Citizens' Pillar', encompassing organised civil society and regional and local authorities, in an alliance with national parliaments, will be crucial to ensure that reform processes and investments are properly monitored and bring about the necessary involvement of legitimate stakeholders". (na)

To contribute to the 2021 United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit, the EESC held an online hearing on 28 May to explore the vulnerabilities and inequalities of European food systems and to identify how to achieve more equitable and fairer supply chains. High-level speakers from the UN, the European Commission and the European Parliament shared their views on the changes needed to strengthen equity, fairness and a rights-based approach in the transition to more sustainable food systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wake-up call for change. Although farmers and food system workers have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis and have provided an uninterrupted supply of food for all Europeans, "this crisis has underlined the fact that getting food 'from farm to fork' is not something that can be taken for granted," said Andreas Thurner, president of the EESC Thematic Study Group on Sustainable Food Systems.

The EESC has developed several proposals and specific ideas over the years, which can be summarised in five sets of recommendations to feed into the UN Food Systems Summit:

I. Foster comprehensive and integrated food policies;

II. Promote healthier and more sustainable diets;

III. Ensure fair prices and ban unfair trading practices;

IV. Enhance the potential of short food supply chains and agroecology;

V. Ensure structured involvement and participation of civil society. (mr)

The EESC supports the greening of transport, but stresses that the energy transition must be fair and provide viable and realistic alternatives that take account of the specific economic and social features and needs of all parts of Europe, including rural areas.

This is the main message of an opinion drawn up by Pierre Jean Coulon and Lidija Pavić-Rogošić and adopted at the Committee's June plenary session. In its assessment of the 2011 White Paper on Transport, which aims to break the transport system's dependence on oil without sacrificing its efficiency and compromising mobility, the EESC takes a firm stand.

Limiting modes of transport is not an option: the aim should be co-modality, not modal shift. In addition, the ecological transition must both be socially fair and preserve the competitiveness of European transport, with full implementation of the European Transport Area as part of the Single Market. Delays in this respect are regrettable.

"Curbing mobility is not an alternative. We support any measures aimed at making transport more energy efficient and reducing emissions", said Mr Coulon. "Europe is going through a period of headwinds, but this should not lead to changes of course in terms of social and environmental expectations of the various European initiatives."

The EESC also encourages an open, continuous and transparent exchange of views on the implementation of the White Paper. "The Committee draws attention to the importance of securing the support of civil society and stakeholders, including through participatory dialogue", added Ms Pavić-Rogošić. "A good understanding and broad acceptance of strategic goals will be extremely helpful in achieving results." (mp)

On 17 June, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and its Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) held a spirited debate examining the views of organised civil society following publication of the European Commission's update to the new industrial strategy. The debate, which is the first in a series of joint activities by EESC sections on the topic, questioned whether the updated strategy contains sufficient elements to enhance EU industry's resilience and strategic autonomy. 

On 5 May 2021, the Commission updated the EU Industrial Strategy to ensure that its industrial ambition takes full account of the new circumstances following the COVID-19 crisis and helps drive the transformation to a more sustainable, digital, resilient and globally competitive economy.

The CCMI president, Pietro Francesco De Lotto, who chaired the debate, said: ''The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated many processes that were already ongoing. The speed with which society and industry have had to adopt digitalisation processes in these past 16 months is unprecedented and the changes we have experienced are ground‑breaking, first with supply chains, then with medical equipment and after that, with the vaccines. ''

The president of the Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT), Alain Coheur, who co-chaired the debate, described the context for the second panel's work, said: ''The crisis has brought other issues to the table that were not mentioned in in the first Communication on the industrial strategy in March 2020. We must see this crisis as an opportunity to give the European area industrial autonomy''.

Antony Whelan, digital adviser to European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, presenting the Commission tools to measure EU dependency, said: ''In our bottom-up exercise we identified a very limited number of areas where the EU as a whole is in a situation of worried dependency.''

The EESC will hold a series of debates on the industrial strategy: seven webinars, starting with the current one on 17 June. A high-level closing debate is planned for March 2022. (ks)

The EESC's Transatlantic Relations Follow-up Committee met just days ahead of the high‑level EU-US summit to discuss a wide range of subjects of importance to civil society, first and foremost climate change and trade.

"Encouraging signals on all fronts are coming from both sides of the Atlantic", said Christian Moos, president of the EESC's Transatlantic Relations Follow-up Committee.

David Livingston, senior advisor to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, confirmed that the current administration was now fully committed to meeting and going beyond the Paris agreement objectives. "It will not be acceptable", he said, "for major key player countries to let 2021 go by without substantial updates to their National Determined Contributions, which are at the heart of the Paris Agreement".

"The active participation of civil society in the US together with the EU and other countries allowed the US to maintain an engagement, despite the absence of commitment from the previous administration", noted Elina Bardram, from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Climate Action  (DG CLIMA).

The Atlantic Council's Emilie Bel stressed that Europeans were ready to build a positive trade agenda, but on an evenly balanced basis.

Marjorie Chorlins from the US Chamber of Commerce, affirmed that, despite transatlantic political turbulence and the COVID-19-induced recession, the US and Europe remained each other's most important markets. The recently published Transatlantic Economy 2021 report demonstrated that the two partners represented a substantial portion of global consumption and global GDP. 

Tanja Buzek, president of the EESC's International Trade Follow-up Committee, stressed the importance of civil society involvement for a transparent trade policy and the need for strong coalitions to reform the WTO. (at)

In the second half of 2021, Slovenia will hold the EU Council presidency for the second time. And it is the second time that it comes at a critical moment for Europe.

In 2008, the EU was facing the financial crisis, and today it is still struggling with the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore not surprising that EU preparedness for and resilience to crises, especially in the area of health, are some of the main priorities of the Slovenian presidency, along with other strategic issues such as cybersecurity. It is also during the Slovenian presidency that many of the tasks related to the Conference on the Future of Europe will have to be carried out.

The EESC is happy to work closely with the Slovenian presidency, especially as our priorities converge: recovery, fair climate and digital transitions and upholding the rule of law are also at the heart of the EESC's work.

This brochure is available in EN, FR, DE and SL on the EESC's website. Printed copies may be ordered from: vipcese@eesc.europa.eu. (af)

By the EESC Employers' Group

Following the recent adoption of the EESC opinions on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) at the June Plenary, the Employers' Group hosted a webinar on the "Challenges of the digital and the new EU economy" on 14 June.

Digitalisation transforms societies and economies. Digital services increasingly weave into Europe’s economy and are shaping Europe's digital future, a trend that has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis. The European Commission has been particularly active in launching different initiatives to foster Europe's digital sovereignty, through ensuring a safe, fair, open and accountable online environment for its citizens and unlocking the potential of its Digital Single Market.

However, progress on digitalisation remains uneven across the EU. Many rural and remoter communities are actively seeking new opportunities in digital services to drive economic growth, but face difficulties due to inadequate infrastructure and skills.

The webinar, held under the auspices of the Portuguese Delegation of the EESC Employers' Group, in the framework of the Portuguese presidency, which made this issue one of its top priorities, aimed to contribute to the debate on how to make DMA and DSA "fit for purpose" and thus feed into the legislative process.

Speakers and participants recognised the need to bridge the urban-rural digital divide with the deployment of fibre and 5G in cities, as well as in rural areas, and called for a Digital Rural Act.

With regard to digital infrastructure, EU employers called for skills. The digital transition can only become reality if all Europeans have basic digital literacy and if there is a sufficient skilled digital workforce. The employers stressed that the EU and Member States must take full advantage of the RRF national plans and all existing financing instruments (DEP, InvestEU, Structural and Cohesion Funds) to build a true DIGITAL Union.

Speakers also reiterated that only by avoiding additional fragmentation of the digital Single Market will Europe's companies be able to scale up in the European Union. Harmonised legislation will help European companies not to have to deal with 27 different legal systems and have legal certainty, predictability and a level playing field in a market where competition conditions are fair for everyone, particularly SMEs, which occupy the vast majority of digital platforms.

Along with a fully-fledged Digital Single Market, EU employers firmly supported the key objective of restoring Europe's Digital Sovereignty while remaining open to free trade and supporting the multilateral system. In that regard, they welcomed the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as part of Europe's answer to create a level playing field for all online services, in line with European values and standards.

However, they stressed that if the EU wants to become a geopolitical actor with real digital clout, it must leverage both its regulatory power and reinforced industrial and technological capabilities to advance the European model of digitalisation and shape the global environment.

To know more about the event and the recommendations, please click here  (dv)

By the EESC Workers' Group

On average, women earn 14% less than men in Europe. In some countries the situation is slowly improving; in others it is deteriorating. The gap is expected to close on average by the twenty-second century in the European Union, but in countries such as France this is expected to take another 1000 years.

The reasons for the gap vary: sectoral segregation (women being overrepresented in low-paying sectors); work-life balance (women spending more time in unpaid work at home); the glass ceiling (less than 10% of CEOs are women); and plain discrimination, despite the law.

To help tackle the gender pay gap and end pay discrimination, the European Commission has issued a Pay Transparency proposal with enforcement mechanisms to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value. The proposal includes the fundamental concept of binding pay transparency rules, also improving access to justice.

While pay transparency is by no means the only tool for combating pay discrimination, being able to identify gender-biased structures is clearly key to tackling the salary differences.

The EESC has suggested improvements to the original Commission proposal in an opinion which calls for the directive to be strengthened by guaranteeing that all workers can benefit from this advantage, not just those working in large companies. The success of these measures depends on genuine engagement from the social partners.

Securing fairer pay and ending pay discrimination are key goals in protecting the fundamental rights of all workers in Europe.

By Elena-Alexandra CALISTRU, member of the EESC Diversity Europe Group

Few places in the world enjoy Europe's solid tradition of upholding the values of free, independent media. However, the advent of digital platforms, illiberal tendencies to shut down access to information, the growing threat to investigative journalists and the crisis generated by COVID-19 are all placing different but simultaneous pressures on the ecosystem that allows that exceptionally free media to exist and fulfil its democratic role.

The EESC recently adopted an opinion on the Commission's Communication on Europe's media in the Digital Decade: an action plan to support recovery and transformation. We particularly welcomed the acknowledgement that these underlying trends and the COVID-19 crisis could, without a strong policy and financial support response, undermine the resilience of Europe's media sector and its democratic role.

The instruments proposed in the Communication encompass a wide range of measures focused on the recovery and transformation of the media industry and on increasing its resilience. For this to happen, steps must be taken to tackle the structural challenges facing the industry and to foster an enabling environment in which the media and civil society are able to participate in an open debate, free from malign interference and disinformation.

However, there are some important points to consider if we want the EU to remain the best possible place for media freedom.

Firstly, measures should be linked to the social realities underlying the discrepancies in the media and audiovisual industry landscape in the different Member States, and to the differing size and needs of local and national media. Financial support must therefore be transparent, accessible and inclusive, especially when it comes to local media and media start-ups. Secondly, civil society must become a partner in this,  in order to empower individuals, strengthen media freedom and counter disinformation through media literacy.

If Europe’s Media Action Plan is to succeed, all stakeholders need to engage in the effort to recognise the media's importance for our democratic values.

The Workers' Group has presented the campaign to inscribe the ESMA Museum and Memorial Site in Argentina on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The ESMA Museum and Memorial Site in Argentina was a clandestine centre of detention, torture and extermination during the Argentine dictatorship of 1976-1983. A symbol of Argentinian history, it is at the same time an institution of international relevance as it provides yet more evidence of human rights abuses and crimes against humanity which must never be forgotten.

The campaign to make ESMA a UNESCO heritage site is supported by human rights organisations, the trade unions of the Mercosur and the Argentinian Embassy to the European Union.

The event was held online on 30 June and web-streamed on the EESC's web page and social media channels. You can find out more here. (ck)

To mark the beginning of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the EESC presents an online exhibition by the awarded Slovenian photographer Ciril Jazbec, a Leica O.B. winner and recipient of the World Press Photo award for 2021.

The virtual photo exhibition "A decade of climate change" features a series of 25 images which are part of the artist's long term project "Climate Change Resilience".

The official opening is to take place on 8 July with a Live Art Talk web-streamed on Facebook and hosted by the EESC vice-president for communication Cillian Lohan in the presence of the Deputy Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the EU, ambassador Tamara Weingerl Požar, of EESC Slovenian member Neža Repanšek and of the artist himself.

The online exhibition will run from 5 to 30 July 2021. Do not miss the chance to visit it here. (ck)