Press releases

EU accession remains a key motivation for reforms in the countries of the Western Balkans

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.

Successful European citizen initiatives must trigger dialogue and proper follow-up at EU level

Six years after the introduction of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) with barely any impact on EU legislation, the constructive criticism, particularly from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and other institutions such as the European Parliament and the European Ombudsman, is finally beginning to bear fruit, tempting the European Commission to review this important instrument of participative democracy.

Disability discrimination in Europe averages 15%, but in Portugal this figure increases to 65%.  Surprisingly, the Portuguese Government has no national strategy for persons with disabilities.  Data analysis and research from the Observatório da Deficiency e Direitos Humanos (Disability and Human Rights Observatory) based at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, reveals some worrying concerns.