EESC info

The Committee supports the creation of a future electricity market based on a public-private partnership and a mix of regulation and liberalisation.

At the heart of this model is a government-established "E-facility", which buys electricity from producers and sells it to suppliers of household customers, SMEs, Citizen Energy Communities and large-scale consumers and, where appropriate and possible, to other countries.

The "E-facility" would run tenders and sign long-term contracts of various types with electricity producers, such as power purchase agreements (PPA), contracts for difference (CfD) and cost+ contracts.

This is the key reform that should be carried out in the EU's current electricity market, according to the EESC opinion drafted by Jan Dirx and Christophe Quarez, adopted at the plenary session on 14 June 2023.

"The Committee has long advocated for a reform of the EU's electricity market," said Mr Dirx. "We think the way forward is a hybrid model based on the principle of 'liberalise where possible and regulate where necessary'".

"Energy is a key building block of our economic and social system and should not be treated like any other commodity. Energy is a central part of public services," stressed Mr Quarez. "With our proposal, the government is responsible for delivering the objectives of sustainability, affordability and security of supply." (mp)

The EESC recommends establishing a "Green triple-T" standard to assess the impact of future interventions on the EU's economic system.

Building on the recommendations of the European Central Bank (ECB), the Committee stresses that untargeted price measures would only prolong high inflation in the long run. If not phased out in time, they might compromise the ECB's ability to achieve its medium-term objectives and result in monetary tightening for longer than desirable.

According to the EESC opinion on The impact of the energy crisis on the European economy, drawn up by Alena Mastantuono and adopted at the June plenary session, the European Union needs to move beyond emergency fiscal responses and focus on structural changes that will enable it to move away from fossil fuels more quickly.

"We firmly believe that the lessons learned from the negative effects of the energy crisis on the EU's economic performance must be reflected in the next policy steps," said Ms Mastantuono.

To ensure it stays competitive, the EU needs reliable and secure supplies of affordable energy based on an integrated energy market with a large share of clean energy that is resilient and can withstand disruptions and shocks. (mp)

The EESC has suggested that products which cannot be repaired should not be marketed in Europe, and that merely requiring producers to inform consumers when a product cannot be fixed is not enough.

The EU's new Right to Repair is a great step forward on paper, says the EESC. But a consumer wishing to fix a smart phone or an appliance that breaks down rather than buying a new one could stumble into a number of practical hurdles that will make it too hard or expensive to have it repaired, if not downright impossible. The EU should go further and ask Member States to ban any practice of intentionally making products unrepairable.

There can be no right to repair if objects are designed to be unrepairable, says Thierry Libaert, rapporteur for the EESC opinion.

In its opinion on the proposed directive, the EESC suggests a number of practical measures to beef it up and ensure that the repair option remains viable and affordable beyond the guarantee period, also from a business perspective. Proposals include:

• offering incentives to opt for repair – even  simple ones, like offering an extension of the guarantee period when a product is repaired during that time;
• allowing innovative solutions such as 3D printing to produce spare parts, or refurbishing, which involves giving products a second life, or developing a market for second-hand parts;
• launching training and retraining programmes to teach repairers the skills they need for a job which used to be based on mechanics, but is now increasingly confronted with connected devices. More generally, there is a need to address the shortage of repair workers in Europe.

The repair sector creates value and high-quality jobs in Europe which are hard to delocalise. It generates 404 jobs per 10 000 tonnes of repaired materials – 50 times more than disposing of these materials as waste, which has become the predominant trend in recent years. 65% of consumers dispose of their faulty products, and this translates into 7.5 million tons of waste a year.

Greenwashing: no to claims based on carbon offsets

Like the Right to Repair Directive, the Green Claims Directive is intended to empower Europeans to buy sustainably. Consumers are more and more willing to do so, but have very little trust in producers' claims about the environmental performance of their products and services and are confused by the multitude of green labels on the market.

The new directive should make environmental labels and claims credible and trustworthy, but it has weaknesses. In the EESC's view, it should ban claims based on offsetting, since several consumer authorities and a number of court cases have found that claims such as "climate-neutral" or "plastic-compensated" based on counterbalancing emissions by investing in climate solutions projects (such as planting trees) are scientifically incorrect and always misleading to consumers.

The EESC also flags up the need for consistent legislation. There is a danger that what's pushed out the door comes back through the window, says EESC rapporteur Angelo Pagliara. The Green Claims Directive should be a model for a minimum level of protection against greenwashing. Its requirements should be reflected in sectoral legislation, so that there is no way to opt out, find loopholes or weaken consumer protection.

Read the EESC opinion on the Right to Repair package
Read the EESC opinion on the Green Claims Directive

The Council would help address the many crises currently affecting food systems and anticipate future challenges that will arise with the accession of Ukraine to the EU.

The European Union's food system is currently facing multiple crises as it tackles environmental, climate, health and social challenges. The prospect of Ukraine's future accession also raises issues and is expected to require a CAP reform. To best face these changes, the EESC is proposing the creation of a European Food Policy Council (EFPC), ahead of the forthcoming Framework for Sustainable Food Systems.

The EFPC can help accelerate the convergence of EU, national and local policies. Most importantly, it can help improve EU food policy. The rapporteur for the opinion, Piroska Kállay, said: "We strongly believe that inclusiveness and dialogue among various food system stakeholders and authorities will increase the quality and legitimacy of food policy-making and that a European Food Policy Council is a tool to achieve a more integrated, participatory and democratic approach to food governance".

The EESC is prepared to host the EFPC and would like to see it modelled on the very successful European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, which it co-owns with the Commission.

The EFPC would promote sustainable and balanced development of both rural and urban areas. It would include academics, scientists, representatives from the food supply chain, civil society organisations, educators, youth representatives and EU policy-makers. Over time, it would also include representatives from local, regional and national authorities, ensuring an equal participation of Member State representatives at EU level. (ks)

Young people should receive the same pay and social security benefits as other workers, including the same minimum wage, which is still not the case in all Member States.

According to the European Economic and Social Committee, the EU and the Member States need to put an end to discriminatory practices against young people, such as low youth minimum wages and unpaid traineeships. Young people also need to be more directly involved in designing policies, especially those affecting them.

These demands, put forward by the EESC in two opinions adopted at its plenary session on 15 June, coincided with the European Parliament's adoption of a report on quality traineeships which called on the Commission to propose a directive that would make it illegal to employ interns and trainees for longer periods without pay.

"Too many young people subject to lower minimum wages or undertaking unpaid internships have a negative experience of the labour market. We cannot be blind to this reality in Member States today," said Michael McLoughlin, rapporteur of the opinion The equal treatment of young people in the labour market.

"Young people have the right to be listened to and to act," said Nicoletta Merlo, rapporteur of the opinion Cooperation on youth, requested by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which aims to give fresh impetus to the EU youth agenda.

"Their participation must be encouraged throughout the whole process of designing, implementing and following up public policies, which have to stress the importance of the role of youth organisations and take into consideration the new informal ways in which young people get together, cooperate and engage in dialogue," Ms Merlo said.

The EESC has asked for young people to have the same working conditions and employment benefits, social security and social assistance as other workers. Under the equal pay for equal work principle, they should be entitled to the same minimum wage as other workers. This is currently not the case in some countries that have established separate, lower minimum wages for youth, despite the fact that 1 in 4 young workers are minimum-wage earners, compared to 1 in 10 other workers.

The EESC's new president, Oliver Röpke, has put great emphasis on strengthening dialogue with young people and involving them in policymaking.

In a discussion with youth organisations held during the plenary session, Mr Röpke said: "We are committed to a more inclusive model that puts young people at the heart of the engagement process. I have made it my political priority to open the doors of the EESC to young people, and I don't intend to stop at EU borders. I want to reach out to youth organisations from candidate countries as well."

The discussion saw the participation of representatives of the European Youth Forum, Generation Climate Europe and ReDI School of Digital Integration. (ll)

The EESC has asked the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU to push forward with the proposal to make the Social Progress Protocol a binding legal instrument to help strengthen and preserve social rights in Europe

The European Economic and Social Committee has voiced its agreement with recent proposals to amend the EU Treaties to include the Social Progress Protocol (SPP), an instrument which would give priority to fundamental social rights over economic freedoms in the event of conflict and in EU policies. This would ensure legal certainty and equal treatment of workers in all Member States.

In an exploratory opinion requested by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the EESC said the SPP would secure social progress by promoting and safeguarding the highest standards of social rights in all EU policies and preventing backsliding.

The opinion was adopted at the EESC plenary session on 15 June by 132 votes to 102 with 7 abstentions. However, it did not receive the backing of the EESC Employers' Group, which tabled a counter-opinion opposing the inclusion of the SPP in primary EU law. The counter-opinion was rejected but received more than a quarter of the votes cast and is therefore appended to the main opinion.

The rapporteur for the opinion, Maria del Carmen Barrera Chamorro, said: "The SPP would uphold the principle of not backsliding in respect of social standards. It would prevent any policies being adopted which would run counter to the interests of people, which is what happened with the austerity policies."

"Now, more than ever, we have to be on our guard to make sure that we defend social and civic rights and that they are uniformly applied across the entire EU. They have to be treated as more important than the free market, especially in cases of dispute," said co-rapporteur Diego Dutto.

The EESC said it saw the Spanish Presidency as a great opportunity to push forward the proposal. It encouraged the presidency to convene a meeting of the Council of Social Affairs Ministers to agree on a joint proposal and plan a specific EU summit to adopt it.

The SPP was first proposed by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in 2008 in response to European Court of Justice rulings in favour of economic freedoms. The call was taken up again last year in the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), with the European Parliament adopting a resolution calling for the SPP to be incorporated into the EU Treaties.

The EESC Employers' Group said that they believed that social and economic rights should enjoy the same level of protection and that the SPP would be in serious danger of undermining the very basis for social progress. (ll)

HIV prevention, continued care and eradicating discrimination remain critical to tackle the ongoing global public health crisis, says EESC

The European Economic and Social Committee is backing the efforts of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU to put the goal of eliminating HIV-related stigma and discrimination by 2030 high on the EU agenda.

In an opinion adopted at its plenary session in June, the EESC said it agreed that European institutions should issue a high-level declaration on ending the stigma and discrimination against people infected with HIV, which should be presented to the European Parliament on 1 December 2023.

The EESC also called for a more ambitious new target for preventing and controlling the spread of the HIV infection, aiming for coverage levels as high as 95% for testing, treatment, and virological suppression across all nations.

"We are now trying to understand the situation with HIV after a gap of more than a decade. The issue has been neglected for too long," said rapporteur of the opinion Pietro Barbieri. "What we need is the greatest possible commitment, we need to work together with communities, doctors, schools and in the workplace."

It is important to ensure equal opportunities for individuals with HIV in the workplace, including flexible hours and extended leave. Awareness campaigns, training, and information dissemination in schools, civil society, and youth organisations are essential to combat stigma and discrimination.

"Despite the decline in the number of HIV diagnoses, we must not let our guard down. In order to control the spread of infection, early diagnosis, early start of treatment and continuity in care are essential," said co-rapporteur of the opinion, Nicoletta Merlo.

HIV continues to be a major public health issue all over the world, still affecting more than 36 million people, of which 2.3 million live in the WHO European Region. Eastern regions of the European continent are particularly affected, with Ukraine having the second-largest AIDS epidemic in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

HIV primarily affects marginalised groups such as drug users, men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, migrants, and prisoners. Stigma and fear deter individuals from seeking services, resulting in delayed testing and diagnoses, with over 50% occurring at an advanced stage. This increases transmission risk and preventable deaths, especially in areas lacking adequate AIDS treatment.

Comprehensive strategies integrating care and prevention, along with innovative testing methods like rapid and self-testing, are crucial to combat the epidemic. (ll)

The EESC provided its policy recommendations for a new generation of own resources for the EU budget. In a new opinion, the Committee urges the Commission to further develop the Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT) and suggests considering an EU-wide tax on digital transactions and a levy targeting companies which import products from third-country manufacturers that do not ensure proper protection of workers.

Revenue sources for the EU budget need to be rethought in the context of post-pandemic budgetary pressures faced by Member States, the ongoing international tensions and the current higher interest rate environment.

"We advocate for a strong EU budget, providing the EU with the necessary financial means to achieve its political ambitions, and for moving to more genuine own resources that would help steer us away from the focus on net balances, which is detrimental to European integration", rapporteur Philip von Brockdorff commented during the opinion adoption in plenary. A Commission proposal for an adjusted set of own resources, based on corporate taxation and released on 20 June 2023, completed the three other proposals for new sources of revenue that were presented in 2021 but have not yet been adopted by the Council.

As a prerequisite to proposing an own resource based on corporate taxation, the EESC urges the Commission to develop the Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT) tool as soon as possible. The Committee also deems it reasonable to explore the possibility of including financial services in BEFIT or of working on a global financial transaction tax (FTT) as proposed by the European Parliament. Further to this, the EESC asks the Commission to consider an additional levy targeting EU companies importing products from third-country manufacturers that do not ensure proper protection of workers. (tk)

A strong civil society network is one of the key weapons to fight disinformation on the ground, together with political awareness, a solid legislative framework and independent media.

On 12 June, the EESC launched the first of a series of events meant to raise awareness about disinformation ahead of the 2024 European elections. The event took place in Sofia, following the finding that 55% of Bulgarians think they are often exposed to disinformation and fake news.

What emerged from discussions is that civil society organisations, government and independent media must work together to set up a firewall against information manipulation, which is gaining more and more ground as a weapon of foreign interference.

The rise of disinformation is a particularly worrying trend in view of the forthcoming European elections. EESC President Oliver Röpke underlined that: "Disinformation, now also complemented by war propaganda, is used to blur reality and seed discord, making an objective debate impossible. Next year, the biggest democratic moment in Europe will take place. European citizens have the right to make their choice based on factual information, and I think we must all contribute to a campaign where there is no place for disinformation and foreign interference."

Kiril Valchev, director general at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) argued that the best weapon to fight disinformation is information, not censorship. "We should let information circulate freely and make it accessible to the public".

Alice Stollmeyer founder and executive Director at "Defend Democracy" said: "Civil societies on their own can't defeat disinformation. What they can do is organise and take action together by pushing big tech companies who own social media platforms for more accountability".

The discussion also demonstrated the critical role of independent media in debunking disinformation. Independent Russian journalist, Tikhon Dzyadko, editor-in-chief of TV Rain, said that independent media were working hard to provide evidence and fact-based information to Russians in the fight against Russian propaganda. "The Russian government does not want people to know the truth". (at)

The European Economic and Social Committee will play a major role during the new Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union, as it has been asked by the presidency to prepare a considerable number of opinions.

The Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union comes at a critical juncture for Europe. The time has come for the EU to become more resilient.

Europe has been confronted with a plethora of crises over the last few years: this has shone a spotlight on our vulnerability and made it clear that the European Union needs to develop its strategic autonomy. Open strategic autonomy, a key component which will add resilience to the EU's objectives of a greener, more digital and social Europe, is therefore at the heart of the Spanish presidency's priorities.

In June 2024, EU citizens will participate in the biggest exercise in democracy to take place on this continent: the European Parliament elections. With this in mind, it is paramount to ensure that the safeguards needed to defend our democracy are in place: this is particularly relevant when it comes to combating foreign interference, so that the elections are not fertile ground for disinformation, propaganda and cyberattacks.

The European Economic and Social Committee will be working closely with the Spanish presidency, conveying the views of European civil society organisations. At the Spanish presidency's request, the EESC will prepare no fewer than 22 exploratory opinions on a raft of issues, including the green and digital transitions, the social dimension of the EU and the future of Europe. These in-depth and ambitious opinions, together with a number of events and conferences on topics such as energy poverty, rare diseases and the social economy, will enable the EESC to contribute to the Spanish presidency's debates.

The Committee looks forward to working with the presidency to deliver a more resilient, more inclusive and safer Europe, a Europe which works for its people and is up to the challenges which lie ahead.

This brochure is available in EN, FR, DE and ES on the EESC internet site. (af)

By the EESC Employers' Group

At the EESC's June Plenary session, the Employers' Group put forward a counter-opinion to strongly voice its concern about adding a Social Progress Protocol that would fundamentally change the nature and functioning of the EU social market economy.

The ETUC proposal for a Social Progress Protocol would introduce the primacy of social, labour and trade union rights not only in their interaction with economic freedoms, but also in relation to the internal market, competition and any other policy measures of the Union, including areas such as economic governance, trade, digitalisation and the environment.

"Giving a general priority to social rights over economic freedoms would be as wrong as giving general priority to economic freedoms," said Stefano Mallia, President of the Employers' Group.

A Social Progress Protocol, would indeed call for a Treaty change, putting an end to the existing balance between social rights and the four freedoms underpinning the internal market - a balance currently ensured by several provisions of the Treaties.

"Rather than the EU coming up with a Social Progress Protocol which would distort the balance between economic freedoms and social rights, and interfere with well-defined EU and national competences, it is important to progress towards a shared understanding of what constitutes the added value of EU, in terms of employment and social policies", said Mariya Mincheva, EESC Employers' Group member, who introduced the counter opinion.

The EESC Employers' Group counter-opinion, which has obtained 101 votes in favour, 133 against with 7 abstentions, is appended to the EESC opinion.

Opinion SOC/756 "Social Progress Protocol" (Counter-opinion attached): https://europa.eu/!jdMJ7Q

• See also "EESC backs calls to prioritise fundamental social rights over economic freedoms under EU law" (above).

By the EESC's Workers Group

A Social Progress Protocol enshrined in EU fundamental law would meet workers' demands for robust social protection from Europe.

Decent wages and proper working conditions are a basic right for everyone. Securing this fundamental right is essential for society to progress. It is the cornerstone of a sound social market economy that seeks progress in economic and competitiveness gains while establishing social policies to secure social progress and democratic values. The two cannot be separated: this was one of the main concerns expressed by workers and citizens during the Conference on the Future of Europe.

When people hear about the single market, they ask how it will improve their everyday lives. They want robust social protection, a minimum income, stronger social dialogue and collective bargaining, equal opportunities in the job market - which includes putting an end to social dumping - fair tax policies, affordable housing and gender equality.

A social progress protocol would provide a tangible answer to those practical concerns, promoting and protecting the highest standards of social rights and preventing any backsliding or circumvention.

At a time when human rights, the rule of law and democracy are increasingly being challenged, the EU needs to reaffirm its commitment to these fundamental values by placing Social Europe at the heart of its ambitions. People need the assurance that their social rights will not be set aside in favour of economic and market dynamics, as was the case with the austerity measures taken in response to the 2008 financial crisis.

• See also "EESC backs calls to prioritise fundamental social rights over economic freedoms under EU law" (above)

By Miguel Ángel Cabra de Luna, member of the EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group

A new EESC opinion puts forward a number of policy proposals on how best to respond to a growing challenge: the huge increase in the number of older people in Europe.

According to recent data and projections, the number of over 65s in Europe is expected to increase by 44.7% between 2019 and 2050. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the strategic challenge that an ageing population represents for the EU and the need to reform and improve long-term care for the elderly. So now that the World Health Organisation has declared the end of the COVID-19 emergency, and with the EU in talks on a new strategy on ageing, it is the perfect time to reflect on the effects the pandemic has had on the older population.

Through its opinion Towards a new care model for older people: learning from COVID-19, for which I was rapporteur, the EESC highlighted, already in January 2022, the urgent need for a paradigm shift and a change in the way we invest in care for older people, making several recommendations. Now a new opinion to be put to the vote at the EESC plenary in July elaborates on these issues.

The opinion stresses the need to adopt a new European strategy on older people aimed at protecting their rights and ensuring their full participation in society and the economy. It also suggests creating a European agency for older people, declaring a European year of older persons, adopting a UN convention on the rights of older people, and updating or establishing laws on supporting older people and protecting their autonomy. Furthermore, we highlight the need for more funding and universal access to care, and for development and training in innovative technologies that promote autonomy and care, and measures to ensure adequate training for carers.

It is important to take older people into consideration in European policies, and to ensure accessible and quality long-term care for them and their families, in order to ensure their autonomy, well-being and dignity. It is also important that the approach to age and older people not be seen as a burden or an expense for society, but rather as a part of the social and economic benefits that will be achieved by ensuring the greater active inclusion of older people.

The EESC will continue to contribute with its ideas and proposals in this regard. Its members believe that it should be a priority subject in view of the 2024 European elections. The credibility of the European social model is at stake, particularly in a Europe that is ageing faster than any other region on the planet.