European Economic and Social Committee
The EU Member States must urgently work on a stable, prosperous and more resilient EMU: this was one of the main conclusions of a public debate on completing the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on ...
On 9 November the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted a conference on Co-operative banks and innovation in SME financing. The event was organised in cooperation with the International Confederation of Popular Banks, the European Association of Co-operative Banks, the UNICO Banking Group and the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. The European Commission also took part. The conference looked at the growing role of technology players in SME financing and discussed their interaction with more traditional cooperative banks ...
EESC contributing to disseminating best practices of financial education.
When the international economic and financial crisis struck, it exposed the structural limitations and contradictions in EMU, depriving the euro of its propensity to attract. The crisis proves that it takes much more than a set of "accountancy" rules such as the stability pact and others, because the underlying problems are not technical but economic and political. Some progress has been made in the past few years by putting in place new rules and mechanisms, notably parts of a Banking Union, but the construction works are far from being completed yet, which contributes to the persisting climate of uncertainty among citizens and business, and hinders the growth potential of the European economy ...
EESC member Carmelo Cedrone takes part in an international conference in the US
On 2-3 November 2015, a conference to discuss the relations between the Eurozone and the Americas was held at the University of Texas at Austin. The conference brought together representatives of several universities in Europe, North and South America, the European Parliament, the US Senate, etc. They addressed very interesting questions, in particular the problem of debtor-creditor relationships in the modern world, the Eurozone matters, its economic and political governance, etc. The EESC was represented by Carmelo Cedrone, vice-president of the ECO section.
"Appropriate finance facilities for businesses are a key prerequisite for economic growth". The 1st European Microfinance Day (EMD) on 19 and 20 Oct 2015 was co-organised by the EESC to raise awareness of microfinance as a tool to fight social exclusion and unemployment in Europe. In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Commissioner Marianne Thyssen, the President of the EESC´s ECO Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion, Mr Joost van Iersel, underlined the importance in the EU of strengthening competitiveness, sustainable development and social inclusion.
