In the context of the upcoming European elections in June 2024, the high-level discussion at the NAT section meeting on 26 February will contribute to set the agenda of the new Commission. Building on previous EESC opinions and events on "The sustainable economy we need" and "Beyond GDP measures", the debate will feed into the own-initiative opinion on A Blueprint for a European Green and Social Deal, based on a wellbeing economy.
The European Council of December 2023 discussed the EU enlargement policy, including the stabilisation and association process and next steps in this respect. The enlargement policy will be one of the top priorities for the next coming years. One of the most important aspects of the enlargement process will be the cohesion policy and the structural funds.
The need for a structural policy to be applied following enlargement is justified both by the external necessity of reducing the gap between the applicant countries and the EU average and by the internal necessity of combating increasing disparities amongst and within accession countries.
Download — EESC opinion: The role of cohesion policy in upcoming rounds of EU enlargement
