The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
The EESC is organising a public hearing in the context of preparing an opinion on European philanthropy at the request of the Romanian Presidency. The hearing will focus on the following questions:
Which measures and initiatives should be taken at EU and national level to promote organised philanthropy?
How can the EU eliminate barriers within the internal market that are hindering the realisation of philanthropy's full potential?
How can philanthropy contribute to EU values, such as cohesion, social justice and European Policies, and to the competitiveness of the European economy?
The results of the hearing will feed into the EESC’s work on the opinion.
Citizenship, Democracy & Culture in digitalised Europe
EESC
Brussels
Belgium
This year's Civil Society Days will take place right after the plenary session at which the European Economic and Social Committee celebrates its 60th anniversary.
The focus of this Civil Society Days will be on fostering the current debate about the future of Europe and on highlighting the role across Europe of the civil society organisations which come together in the EESC to represent "Europe at work".
In line with this twofold emphasis, the CivSocDays 2018 will address Europe at work in relation to a dimension which has permeated our everyday working and living environment and will affect and shape our future, as well as the future of Europe: the digital world.
In the framework of the Estonian EU Presidency, the EESC is hosting an exhibition of pictures by photographers Aivar Pihelgas, Jaanus Ree, Ilmārs Znotinš, Jelena Rudi, Sven Začek and Rene Mitt, featuring scenes from one of the biggest amateur choral events in the world, involving thousands of choir singers and dancers dressed in colourful national garments.
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Jacques Delors building, room JDE 63, Rue Belliard 99, 1040 Brussels
Belgium
The event will focus on the role of civil society in preventing radicalisation of young people. The debates will serve to clarify how EU policy-makers can help civil society practitioners to successfully prevent radicalisation. The first panel will cover different elements of anti-radicalisation policy, focusing on what is needed to increase success rates. The second panel will focus on the role of education in preventing radicalisation. Participants will share their view on what can be done to render more effective existing civil society initiatives aiming to prevent radicalisation.
The REGNVM project consists of a series of underwater portraits photographed over a span of two summers in various bays around the Maltese Islands.
The photographs are also published in a limited edition book in which the photographs are woven together with the narrative thread of a story that tells of power, struggle, beauty and love around the inhabitants of the kingdom.
In the framework of the Civil Society days, the EESC is hosting a comics' exhibition.
The European and Transatlantic Dialogue Programme of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (https://fnf-europe.org/) asked comic artists from all over the world what their understanding of Europe is and what they imagine Europe to look like in 50, 100 or even 200 years.
To mark the beginning of the Slovak EU Presidency, the EESC is organising during the July plenary session the opening of a photo exhibition “Reflections from Slovakia” by Yaro M. Kupčo, a Slovak photography artist. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU and Slovaks in Luxembourg ASBL.
Photo exhibition on Andrzej Wajda, recently deceased Polish film director. Wajda is considered one of Poland’s greatest directors, who over his long career received an honorary Oscar and Palme d’Or. Many of his films were inspired by turbulent wartime and communist history.
Although well known in Poland, Andrzej Wajda is not equally known in Europe and the exhibition would therefore aim at making its work and life known to a wider public. The photos were taken by Czeslaw Czaplinski, world-renowned artist photographer, journalist and documentary film maker.
The exhibition will run from 21 December 2016 to 31 January 2017 – closing event on 25 January 2017.
Venue: EESC – JDE building,
rue Belliard 99 – 6th floor – Foyer 6
Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. and Friday: 8.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m
Europe's Day - Open Day of the European Institutions - Come and discover Europe!
Cultural Event
Brussels
Belgium
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will be opening its doors to the general public between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
This year, the EESC is focussing on what civil society organisations are doing in response to the migration crisis in Europe.
Under the common interinstitutional slogan of “United in diversity”, the Committee will also showcase its work on economic and social policy for the European Union, its work on sustainable development and its efforts to support participatory democracy in Europe and throughout the world.
On the day’s programme are a variety of information stands, fun activities for all, a photo booth, a children’s corner and musical events.