European Economic
and Social Committee
Speech by President Séamus Boland on the priorities of the Belgian Presidency
Speech by President Séamus Boland on the priorities of the Belgian Presidency for the Economy and a Social Europe
Plenary debate with Yana Giovanis, Social attaché, Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU
Dear Madam,
- I would like to join my colleagues in thanking you for taking the time to be with us today – you are very welcome at our plenary;
- I will concentrate my remarks on two of the priorities of the Belgian Presidency: firstly, the defence of democracy; secondly, your objective of boosting EU health and the care workforce.
- I would like to begin by thanking the Belgian Presidency for requesting from the EESC an exploratory Opinion on the topic of 'Strengthening civil society and participatory democracy in the EU';
- Within the Committee, you have found an enthusiastic partner to jointly promote democracy and the rule of law;
- Looking ahead to the Defence of Democracy package and the European elections in 2024, civil society must be treated as an important partner in strengthening and defending European democracy;
- CSOs can enable participatory approaches that are complementary to representative democracy;
- The Exploratory Opinion will be adopted next month and includes specific proposals on how to promote citizen participation and dialogue with intermediate bodies, at both European and Member State level.
- With regard to your objective of boosting EU health and the care workforce, I would like to inform you that in June, our Group will hold its second event on the topic of EU health (the first was under the Swedish Presidency);
- Our event in Liège on 4 June will be very ambitious and will explore how the European Health Union could be strengthened over the next five-year period;
- We will be looking at the EU's commitment to One Health; digital innovations and their impact on health; the role of social investments in the sustainability of health systems; as well as the global fight against health inequalities, looking in particular at the example of rare diseases;
- You will be aware that recent Eurobarometer surveys have found that European citizens would like the incoming European Parliament to concentrate on the topic of 'public health';
- This clearly echoes the requests of citizens during the Conference on the Future of Europe, when they called for the "Right to Health";
- And at our conference in Stockholm last year, the recommendations stressed that it is imperative to move away from the perception of public health as a 'cost';
- On the contrary, the event highlighted that the EU must move towards a more progressive approach, which values healthcare as a social investment;
- And although healthcare remains a national prerogative, EU coordination and assistance are both necessary and strongly welcome;
- We need more synergies, holistic approaches, pooling of expertise, better planning, cross-border cooperation and upward convergence among and within EU countries;
- Thank you for your attention.