On 17 October the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a conference on the geopolitics of energy strategies in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Jointly organised with the Italian National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL) in Rome, the conference underlined the potential of the EU's Southern Neighbourhood countries as producers of green hydrogen, especially now in light of the war in Ukraine. The area can become a key player in the energy sector to the benefit of all involved stakeholders.
EUROMED
Relations between the EU and its southern neighbours constitute one of our priorities. Our work covers a wide variety of areas, such as the participation of civil society in political and civil dialogue, democratic transition, youth employment, sustainable development, mobility and immigration, trade, renewable energy and business development.
The EESC has been working on these issues since 1995. Following changes in the region in 2010, we have adjusted our objectives accordingly, aiming to:
- Support civil society organisations in countries undergoing transition. Such support is targeted, in particular, at trade unions and employers’ organisations, as well as women’s, youth and farmers’ associations.
- Maintain bilateral relations with national economic and social councils in the region, and work towards creating conditions for the inclusion of civil society in political dialogue in the southern partner countries.
- Issue opinions and joint reports on the key policy challenges facing the region.
- Hold regular meetings with European institutions and international organisations to discuss the policies concerning civil society across the region.
- Organise an annual summit for economic and social councils and similar institutions, at which key policy recommendations on the region’s main challenges are put to policy-makers from national governments and the EU.
2018 Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils and similar institutions
More than a hundred civil society representatives from Union for the Mediterranean member countries met on 13 and 14 December in Madrid, Spain, to discuss the challenges facing the region. The 2017 Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions focused on economic, social and cultural rights, social protection and a new generation of women's rights in the Mediterranean region.
Faced with a greater need than ever to enhance dialogue between countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region, civil society organisations answered the invitation of the European Economic and Social Committee and the Greek Economic and Social Council to discuss their role in addressing the challenges in the region. This was the main goal of the yearly Euromed summit of economic and social councils and similar institutions, organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Economic and Social Council of Greece in Vravrona - Attica.