EESC info

Italy’s Luca Jahier has been elected as the 32^nd president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which he will head for the next two and a half years, together with his two new vice-presidents, Milena Angelova (Bulgaria) for budget and Isabel Caño Aguilar (Spain) for communication.

In an inspiring speech, delivered on 18 April at the EESC plenary, which marked the end of the presidency of Georges Dassis, the new president set out the four priorities of his programme: sustainable development, promotion of peace, strengthening the role of culture and giving a voice to Europe’s young people.

“I invite all of you to join me in a strong civic engagement for our sustainable European future. I invite you to dream with me of a re-energised Europe and to work together for a second European Renaissance!” Mr Jahier told the 350-member body, which following the appointment of its new Bureau stands as a shining example of gender equality, with many senior positions filled by women.

Europe – still plagued by high levels of poverty and the unresolved migration crisis, as well as by the low levels of trust in democratic institutions – would benefit from a powerful humanistic revolution and a transformation similar to that of the Renaissance, Mr Jahier added, hoping that his four priorities “for a unifying agenda for the future” could give this “rEUnaissance” a real chance.

Commending the work of his predecessor, Mr Dassis, on important issues such as migration, the social pillar and the future of Europe, Mr Jahier said he would continue on this path and would strive to further improve the EESC's role in fighting against nationalistic and populist trends as well as addressing the shrinking civic space.

"For the Europe of tomorrow, we must have the courage; we must dare to imagine a new world. There is no time to waste, as so many defeats in history can be summarised in two words: too late," Mr Jahier concluded.

In their inaugural speeches, the two vice-presidents talked about the importance of the EESC's work.

"The EESC has a unique and key role to play here, being in a position to present the balanced view of the social partners and organised civil society on how to work together more effectively to achieve a more united and more federal Europe," said Ms Angelova.

Ms Caño Aguilar, said: "The Committee is the real point of dialogue, the bridge between the European institutions and the machinery that keeps everything moving. And in this role, we must listen and speak out."

Watch Luca Jahier's inaugural speech following his election as the new president of the EESC. (ll)

Isabel Caño Aguilar from Spain, member of the Workers' Group, will be one of the two vice-presidents of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) for a two-and-a-half year term from 2018 to 2020. She will be responsible for communication matters. She will fill one of the senior positions in the EESC along with the newly elected president Luca Jahier from Italy, former president of the Various Interests' Group, and vice-president Milena Angelova from Bulgaria, member of the Employers' Group, who will be the vice-president for budgetary matters.

After her election, the vice-president in charge of communication, Isabel Caño Aguilar, said: "The EESC is a real point of dialogue, the bridge between the European institutions and Europe's citizens. And in this role, we must listen and speak out. Under my specific communication responsibilities, we will reinforce the communication on what Europe is about and where the Committee's responsibility lies in constructing Europe. I believe we must make our points of view better heard and use local initiatives to report on the real situation on the ground. Only in this way will we be able to contribute to improving living and working conditions on our continent."

Click here for Ms Isabel Caño Aguilar's profile (jk)

Milena Angelova from Bulgaria, member of the Employers' Group, will be one of the two vice-presidents of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) for a two-and-a-half year term from 2018 to 2020. She will be responsible for budget matters.

After her election, the vice-president in charge of budget, Milena Angelova, said: "The European Economic and Social Committee has a unique and key role to play being in a position to present the balanced view of the social partners and organised civil society on how to work together more effectively in order to achieve a more united and more federal Europe, which is able to make the best use of the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence and digitalisation, and to cope with the challenges of growing fear, xenophobia and migration. We should aim for a more focused and more effective Europe, and to "doing less more efficiently'. In this regard, I believe the motto of the current Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union – United we stand strong - is directly relevant and should be fully endorsed."

Click here for Ms Milena Angelova's profile (sg)

From the two vice-presidents to the new heads of the social affairs and consumer affairs sections to the President's team, the EESC's new leadership features many women.

In addition to having two female vice-presidents at the same time for the first time in its history, the EESC now has several women in other key positions. Among them:

• Austrian member Christa Schweng from the Employers' Group heads the section covering social affairs (SOC), one of the Committee's main policy areas.
• Swedish member Ariane Rodert from the Diversity Europe Group is at the helm of the section dealing with internal market and consumer issues (INT).

They join Bulgarian member Dilyana Slavova (Diversity Europe Group) and Czech member Lucie Studničná (Workers' Group), who have been leading the External Relations (REX) section and the Consultative Commission for Industrial Change (CCMI) respectively since the beginning of the current term of office (2015-2020), while Germany's Gabriele Bischoff stays on as president of the Workers' Group.

The President's team is made up mostly of women, including head of cabinet Alicja Magdalena Herbowska, spokesperson Daniela Vincenti, international relations adviser Daniela Rondinelli and culture and youth expert Katherine Heid, together with several other supporting staff.

"A year before the European elections, we need to listen to the people of our continent. Half of them think there should be more women in political decision-making positions, with seven out of ten in favour of legal measures to ensure parity between men and women in politics. It is time to break the glass ceiling. Many talk about it - I have decided to do it. We must practise what we preach," says President Luca Jahier in his blog.

To learn more, visit the President's blog. (dm)