EESC Liaison Group Newsletter September 2023

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Dear members, colleagues,

Back to ‘business’ with a new semester for EU organised civil society under the Spanish Presidency. A promising and much-welcomed EU Presidency for the emphasis it places on social justice and unity in Europe. Civil society organisations are fully committed to a more united and social Europe and will support this objective even more now that we are heading into new European elections in only 300 days' time, as announced by Commission President Ursula Van Der Leyen. In fact, this year's SOTEU – State of the Union speech – was a surprise for many and, despite the main challenges the EU faces, democracy was mentioned only once, with reference to the European elections. From extreme European summer weather to heated Africa-Europe relations, this supposed break was not much of a break for many people, especially for civil society organisations being – as always – at the forefront.

On a more positive note, we are happy that last month's work on the European Association Statute has paid off. In fact, we supported the European Commission proposal to facilitate cross-border activities of non-profit associations in the EU through the creation of a new legal form of a "European Cross Border Association", which is finally "out". This responds to the European Parliament's own legislative resolution, as well as calls from civil society organisations, including the Association Life Category of the EESC, which the Liaison Group (LG) has been contributing too. I believe that by creating a new legal form of non-profit associations that can be recognised by all Member States, we can further unlock the potential of these associations and support the essential contribution that civil society and philanthropic organisations of all sizes make to our society.