Our members present their ideas for the future of health policy in the EU
Guest articles by Marc De Paoli (Managing Director, Liège University Hospital), Sylvianne Portugaels (Director-General, Citadelle Hopital) and Martyna Kowacka (Chief Commissioner, Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP))
Interview with rapporteur Krzysztof Balon on the EESC opinion 'Digitalisation in social security'
Report on our recent #EUelections2024 conference on 'Building Together the EU We Want'
EESC President Oliver Röpke participated today (24 May) in the conference on "Continuing the success story of EU enlargement - Bringing benefits to the Western Balkans in advance of accession" alongside Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Luka Mesec and Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, Majlinda Bregu.
In 2023, the EESC launched its call for an EU Blue Deal, as a new standalone strategic priority on water for the EU. Partnering with Water Europe, this event explored integrating water into industrial strategies and showcased Water-Smart economy practices. The event is a partner event of the EU Green Week, which this year focused on water resilience. Online, via Zoom - From 14:30 to 16:30
GRAND PLAZA HOTEL & CONGRESS CENTER
Slovenska cesta 60
Ljubljana
Slovenia
The Western Balkans Civil Society High-Level Conference brought together EESC members, organised civil society representatives from the Western Balkan countries, and members of organised civil society and officials from Slovenia. It marked 20 years of the biggest EU enlargement thus far, and 20 years since Slovenia joined the Union. The conference was organised in close cooperation with and support from our partners and will complement the EESC’s work, such as the Western Balkans Civil Society Forum, which the EESC has organised every two years since 2006. The event provided an opportunity for participants to exchange views on the needed reforms in the Western Balkans and in the EU to maintain enlargement policy as one of the most important EU success stories. It was an opportunity to discuss the current situation of civil society in the region and the need for its better inclusion in the accession process. The participants adopted conclusions addressed to national authorities and European institutions.
20 years after the accession of Slovenia to the EU, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) gathered political and civil society leaders in Ljubljana to mark this symbolic anniversary, underlining the fundamental benefits of EU membership and reaffirming that the future of the Western Balkan region lies in the European Union. Speaking at the conference, EESC President Oliver Röpke stressed the EESC's continuous support to the gradual integration of the Western Balkan region in the European Union, announcing the 'Civil Society Enlargement Summit' in Brussels on 19 September.
