The Commission is proposing amendments to three EU regulations to ensure that EU funds can be quickly mobilised in support of post-disaster recovery.
The amendments concern theRegulations governing the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF), and the European Social FundPlus (ESF+), for the 2021-2027 programming period.
These proposals come as a direct response to the floods affecting Central and Eastern European countries and wildfires in Portugal in September 2024 and include injecting liquidity with increased pre- and co-financing under Cohesion Policy.
The rule of law is one of the common values on which the European Union is founded. European Commission’s rule of law mechanism has so far only examined compliance with the rule of law in the member states in only four areas, but unfortunately not as a prerequisite for economic activity or as a location factor. The own-initiative opinion on the economic dimension of the Rule of Law looks for examples of protectionism and the implementation of discriminatory measures against foreign investors in some member states as non-compliance and circumvention of European regulations leading to enormous distortions of competition for companies operating in the internal market. The economic dimension of the rule of law is not adequately reflected in the European Commission’s Rule of Law Report, which is why the EESC advocates the inclusion of a fifth pillar.
The next Commission must be the enlargement Commission. It is not a question of whether or not to enlarge, but rather how to do it right. This was the focus of the Enlargement High-Level Forum held by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and attended by EESC President Oliver Röpke, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit and ministers from EU Member States and Enlargement candidate countries alike.
New mandate, new challenge - reaffirming TSD amid economic security ambitions
Location
Brussels
Belgium
The third edition of the EESC Civil Society Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) took place on Thursday, 5 December, from 13:45 to 17:30 at the EESC premises in Brussels. Under the theme "New mandate, new challenge: reaffirming TSD amid economic security ambitions," this year's Forum focused on ensuring that the EU's economic security agenda is consistent with and delivers for TSD. As we welcome a new EU Commission, this is the moment to influence policy direction and ensure that trade policy fosters resilience and security alongside long-term development and social justice for all partners.
