Liaison Group Newsletter June 2026

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Editorial

Dear Members of the Liaison Group,

The 606th Plenary Session of the EESC on 17–18 June 2026 has once again shown the breadth of issues on which organised civil society is asked to speak. The many opinions adopted span the EU's most consequential debates: economic security, the Digital Networks Act, the New European Bauhaus, the future of the EU budget, a strategy for our eastern border regions, the 2025-2026 European Semester cycle, and more. Liaison Group members will recognise many of these files as ones they have been regularly invited to contribute to - and that is no accident. The EESC's opinion-making process is one of the few places in Brussels where the lived expertise of associations, foundations and networks is woven directly into the legislative fabric. 

Amongst many, one that certainly stands out for our community is the EESC Resolution on the Committee's Contribution to the European Commission's 2027 Work Programme. As Liaison Group members we were given space to actively comment, give opinions and contribute to it with the lived experiences of the communities and people our organisations represent. I strongly encourage everyone to acquaint themselves with the important contents of this Resolution. There are also many other opinions which were adopted over the two-days of the Plenary, which link up with civil society's work and priorities. For example, the opinion on the revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (INT/1122), frames state aid reform through the lens of business and civil society — a reminder that competition rules shape the space in which social economy actors operate. The Circular Economy Act opinion (NAT/986), insists that demand-side measures and primary material reduction are non-negotiable if the EU is to stay within planetary boundaries. And two opinions take forward the EESC's flagship water agenda: the Contribution to the UN Water Conference 2026 (CCMI/254) and the Blue Deal Accelerator (CCMI/261) -  files where civil society has been a driving force from the very first European Citizens' Initiative.

These opinions are invitations and not endpoints to policy conversation. Civil society's voice is what keeps such debates anchored in fairness and in everyday realities. That is why the Civil Dialogue Forum (‘From Dialogue to Framework: Shaping Structured Engagement Between European Institutions and Civil Society’) on 23 June and our Full Liaison Group Meeting on 24 June matter so much: they are the moments when dialogue moves from paper to practice.

In that same spirit, I warmly encourage members to join the public hearing on  The role of volunteering for European population preparedness in the morning before our LG Meeting. Volunteering plays a central role in building resilient and inclusive societies, better prepared for the challenges we already face and those still to come. The hearing will gather institutions, civil society, social partners and experts around the "whole-of-society" approach called for by the Commission, feeding directly into the forthcoming opinion 'The role of volunteering for European Population Preparedness in an increasingly dangerous world' SOC/864. For our Liaison Group, this is recognition that the networks of trust and solidarity our members nurture across Europe are themselves a form of strategic infrastructure.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Brussels next week, and to continuing - together -  the dialogue that gives these opinions their meaning.

With warm regards,

Piotr Sadowski

Co-chair of the Liaison Group