The EESC is calling for immediate structural measures in space investment and recommends increasing this to at least 0.2% of the EU’s GDP by 2030.

In the opinion drawn up by Angelo Pagliara and adopted during its December plenary session, the Committee points out that this boost would allow Europe to gradually close the gap with the US and China, making the EU a world leader in the space sector.

Europe’s investment in space is significantly smaller than that of its main competitors. The EU currently allocates only 0.07% of its GDP to space activities, compared to an average of 0.25% in the US, and higher levels still in China, India and Japan.

‘This structural imbalance undermines Europe’s ability to foster autonomous innovation, maintain strategic critical infrastructure and combat dependency on technologies, data and services from third countries,’ said Mr Pagliara, adding ‘We need to increase European public investment in the space sector’.

The EESC opinion assesses the European Commission’s EU Space Act and endorses its intention to enhance the space single market.

In order to make space activities sustainable, safe and resilient, the EU needs an immediate structural boost to its public investment in space activities. This means that the Union must take urgent action and adopt ambitious industrial policies, otherwise the objectives of the Commission’s proposal will not be met.

At the same time, the EESC underlines that it is important to have a clear regulatory framework in place to attract private investment. This must go hand in hand with an industrial and technological strategy that maximises economic and social returns for Europeans, defines tools to reduce dependency on critical supplies from outside Europe and supports the development of European launch capabilities. (mp)

In an opinion adopted at the December plenary session, the Committee says that nuclear energy plays and will continue to play a crucial role in decarbonising the European Union. This is particularly true given that the EU needs to consolidate its strategic autonomy in the fields of energy and technology.

The EESC opinion, drawn up by rapporteur Dumitru Fornea and co-rapporteur Alena Mastantuono, assesses the European Commission’s 8th Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC), published in June 2025.

According to the Committee, nuclear energy is a key element in diversifying the EU’s energy supply because it delivers safe, reliable, low-carbon electricity. This ensures that the grid remains stable most of the time, regardless of the weather or time of day, with less pressure on systemic costs.

Nuclear energy can therefore play an important role in supporting the EU’s overall industrial transition as it bolsters resilience against supply disruptions while complementing renewables and reducing dependence on imported fuels. 'The European nuclear industry sustains more than 1.1 million jobs in the EU and is a significant economic sector with a major footprint in terms of jobs, supply chain capacity and advanced R&D. It is a net-zero value chain based almost entirely in the EU’ said Mr Fornea. 'If we want to effectively move away from coal, we need accessible clean energy and funding for nuclear.'

In the opinion, the EESC regrets that the PINC does not propose any specific enablers, nor a real action plan, for the planned investment and urges the European Commission to include regulatory and financial measures. 'We call on the Commission to put forward concrete measures to make the investment planned under the PINC possible', said Ms Mastantuono. 'This is more necessary than ever given the geopolitical turmoil which is forcing the Union to develop EU-based capacities. For this reason, the nuclear value chain should be supported in terms of skills, research and the fuel supply chain.'

Dialogue with civil society remains pivotal in building trust, ownership and societal acceptance, and could be more prominently addressed in the PINC. On this matter, the EESC’s view is that decisions on new projects in the nuclear sector, including the development of new technologies, should be taken after broad and transparent dialogue with civil society on the technical, economic, social and environmental aspects. (mp)

The EESC’s EU Consumer Day 2025 highlighted the urgent need to protect EU markets from a tsunami of cheap imports shipped by third-country e-commerce platforms such as Temu and Shein. Speakers warned that these imports threatened to wipe out compliant European businesses, drain public budgets and undermine product safety, labour standards and environmental rules.

As many as 12 million parcels valued at under EUR 150 are being shipped every day by third country e-commerce platforms to European consumers. These numbers continue to snowball, with customs and market-surveillance authorities increasingly unable to cope.

In 2024 alone, 4.6 billion such parcels entered the EU - a figure expected to reach six billion in 2025, with over 90% originating from China. This was highlighted at the EESC’s EU Consumer Day 2025, held on 1 December under the title Europe for sale? How global marketplaces are changing our society – and what must be done right now.

The annual event brought together EU institutions, national authorities and civil society organisations, who jointly called for immediate short-term and medium-term measures to halt illegal imports and restore fair competition, stressing this was a shared European challenge.

Opening the event, EESC President Séamus Boland warned: 'This year we have witnessed an exponential increase in low-price goods shipped from outside the EU. We call for urgent action, including EU customs reform and stronger enforcement of existing rules'.

European Commissioner Michael McGrath underlined the Commission’s determination to act: 'We do have a robust legal framework that requires full compliance, and we have a clear vision of forthcoming measures that aim to strengthen both existing protections but also future enforcement'. He announced major initiatives for 2026, including a revamped Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation and a new Digital Fairness Act.

MEP Anna Cavazzini said the European Parliament wanted to see stronger action from the Commission, echoing its latest resolution calling for an EU-wide market ban on products that systematically and seriously breach EU law.

Consumer organisations presented alarming evidence of product-safety failures, with up to 96% of tested products from major platforms found to be non-compliant or unsafe. Beyond safety risks, evidence from Member States shows the wider economic damage caused by third-country platforms.

The keynote speaker Simo Hiilamo, Finnish Commerce Federation, presented the study entitled The impacts of non-EU distance selling on businesses and society, which revealed staggering losses for Finland's economy.  The country could have generated three times more tax revenue if just 30% of online purchases had taken place domestically.

Lost tax revenue undermines healthcare, education and public infrastructure, directly weakening the European social model.

Concluding the event, EESC member Emilie Prouzet stated: 'Europe is not for sale. We have the facts, the toolbox and the mobilisation. Now we need resolve'. (ll)

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has endorsed the European Commission’s new strategy to overhaul the single market, while calling for fully-fledged implementation of single market-related measures and effective enforcement of EU legislation.

In an opinion adopted at its December plenary, the EESC welcomed the Commission’s focus on reducing internal barriers, modernising the rules on services, supporting SMEs and scale-ups, improving digitalisation and streamlining legislation. It pointed out that the success of the new Single Market Strategy, set out in May 2025, now depends on rapid and effective implementation.

The opinion was drafted by three rapporteurs representing the EESC’s groups – Employers, Workers and Civil Society Organisations – reflecting the joint position of Europe’s organised civil society.

‘We stress the need for a coherent and collective European response – a common policy – understood and applied consistently from Brussels to the capitals of the Member States’, said rapporteur Emilie Prouzet (Employers).

The EESC described regulatory simplification as essential in the current geopolitical and economic climate but said it would maintain a ‘vigilant stance’ as the simplification packages moved forward.

‘Regulatory simplification is a strategic lever, but it must take place with full respect for social and workers’ rights. It is therefore essential that European and national parliaments and social partners be structurally involved from the early stages of the legislative process, particularly with regard to the Omnibus packages’, said Angelo Pagliara (Workers).

Giuseppe Guerini (Civil Society Organisations) highlighted that the new strategy for the European single market must take better account of accessibility for social economy entities: ‘the Commission should strengthen, not withdraw, the proposal on the European Cross-Border Association (ECBA)’.

With inflation and high living costs still affecting households, the EESC reiterated its call for EU action on territorial supply constraints and divergences in product labelling, noting that these disparities undermine fair competition and create unequal conditions across Member States.

The EESC also expressed its support for the Commission’s upcoming proposal for an optional ‘28th regime’, which would offer companies a voluntary, EU-wide legal framework to make it easier for them to expand across borders. However, it stressed that the system must not become a means to bypass existing obligations. (ll)