The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held an open day to celebrate Europe and highlight the important role played by organised civil society in the achievements of the European Union.
Jacques Delors Building - Rue Belliard 99 - 1040 Bruxelles - Room JDE 62
Brussels
Belgium
On 3 June 2026, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Parliament (EP) jointly organised a half-day event to present and discuss the key points of their opinions adopted on the Commission’s 2025 Single Market Strategy. This document is a major policy framework that leads the way into identifying major criticalities that still hinder the functioning of the Single Market and looks into a way forward to address them. It is therefore very relevant for the EESC and the CoR to bring the key perspectives of civil society and local actors to this discourse.
Séamus Boland, President of the European Economic and Social Committee
On Europe Day, we celebrate not simply a political union or an economic project, but a democratic vision founded on peace, participation and solidarity among peoples.
At the heart of that vision lies an essential principle: democracy is not sustained by institutions alone. It survives because people believe they still have a voice.
Today, across Europe and beyond, that principle is under growing pressure.
Brussells, 8 May 2026 – Relaunching European global leadership by bringing together competitiveness, sustainability and civil society participation: this was the theme of the second stage of the Festival for Sustainable Development, held for the first time in Brussels, entitled 'European leadership for the future: Civil society driving the post 2030 agenda'.
