Growth

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  • Adopted on 17/07/2019 - Bureau decision date: 24/01/2019
    Reference
    ECO/493-EESC-2019-01345
    Workers - GR II
    Austria

    Although considerable progress has already been made towards completing EMU, there is still a need to significantly reinforce all four of its pillars, taking care to maintain the balance between them, as neglecting one or more of these pillars could result in dangerous disparities. Resilience to crises is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for completing EMU: it also requires a positive vision, as set out in Article 3 of the EU Treaty. The EESC generally calls on the European institutions and national governments to take much more ambitious action in the context of EMU reform in order to achieve a more integrated, more democratic and socially better developed Union.

    EESC opinion: A new vision for completing the Economic and Monetary Union (own initiative opinion)
  • Adopted on 17/07/2019 - Bureau decision date: 22/01/2019
    Reference
    ECO/491-EESC-2019-01-01-00699

    In the opinion, the Committee states that taxation policy in general and combating tax fraud in particular must remain a priority for the next European Commission. In this line, the EESC endorses a debate on gradually shifting to QMV and the ordinary legislative procedure in tax matters, while recognising that all Member States must at all times have sufficient possibilities to participate in the decision-making process.  Moreover, the Committee believes that any new rule must be fit-for-purpose and that certain conditions need to be met to successfully implement QMV: a sufficiently strong EU budget; better coordinated economic policy; and a substantial analytical work assessing to what extent current tax measures have been insufficient.

    EESC opinion: Taxation – qualified majority voting
  • Adopted on 19/06/2019 - Bureau decision date: 11/12/2018
    Reference
    ECO/489-EESC-2019-01-01-00073
    Workers - GR II
    Malta
    Employers - GR I
    Greece

    The EESC notes that the international role of the euro has not yet recovered to the pre-financial crisis level. Whereas the European Commission's proposed measures are welcome and deemed necessary by the EESC, they may not go far enough given the extent of the euro area's social and economic challenges. Social cohesion, economic upward convergence and the promotion of competitiveness and innovation should be the basis on which the euro area's economy gathers pace and supports a stronger international role for the euro.

    EESC opinion: Towards a stronger international role of the euro
  • Adopted on 19/06/2019 - Bureau decision date: 11/12/2018
    Reference
    ECO/486-EESC-2019-01-01-00069-00-00
    (Czech Republic
    Workers - GR II
    Spain

    The EESC welcomes the Investment Plan for Europe for its contribution to the promotion of investment in the EU. The Committee calls for clearly set investment targets, regulatory simplification and further guidance in order to achieve greater geographical and sectoral balance. The EESC advocates for strengthened financial capacity for the InvestEU programme within the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and calls for more efforts to raise awareness among European businesses and citizens about the benefits obtained from the Investment Plan for Europe.

    EESC opinion: Investment Plan for Europe: stock-taking and next steps
  • Adopted on 20/03/2019 - Bureau decision date: 16/10/2018
    Reference
    SC/52-EESC-2018-01-01-5821
    (Romania
    (France

    The opinion tables proposals on how to enhance the European project and bring it closer to its citizens.

    EESC opinion: The Future of the EU: Benefits to citizens and respect for European values (Exploratory opinion at the request of the Romanian Presidency)
  • Adopted on 20/02/2019
    Reference
    ECO/490-EESC-2019-00492-00-01-AC-TRA

    The European Economic and Social Committee welcomes the Commission's proposal  to ensure the continuation of two bilateral cooperation programmes involving Ireland namely the PEACE IV (Ireland-United Kingdom) and the United Kingdom-Ireland programme, after UK's  intention to withdraw from the Union pursuant to art. 50 of the Treaty on European Union.

     

    EESC opinion: PEACE IV - Continuation of the cooperation programmes
  • Adopted on 20/02/2019 - Bureau decision date: 18/09/2018
    Reference
    ECO/481-EESC-2018-01-01-05434
    (Belgium

    The EESC welcomes the reforms aimed at increasing high-quality investment and productivity growth, inclusiveness and institutional quality, and to ensure macro-financial stability and sound public finances. The EESC also welcomes the recognition of the need for investment focused on education and training and the need to strengthen the EU’s social dimension. However, it remains to be specified how these objectives are to be achieved. The EESC underlines that progress is very slow and proposals often rather modest in areas where new policies have been proposed, including fair taxation, the banking union and the functioning of the euro area. Moreover, the EESC recognises the importance of addressing climate change but measures so far adopted remain insufficient.

     

    EESC opinion: Annual Growth Survey 2019 (communication)
  • Adopted on 23/01/2019 - Bureau decision date: 16/10/2018
    Reference
    ECO/485-EESC-2018-01-01-05763-00-00-AC-TRA
    Workers - GR II
    Spain

    The EESC is of the opinion that building economic resilience, an objective that underlies the recommendations of the European Commission on the economic policy of the euro area, is of the utmost importance for the euro area economies. However, the Committee would like to stress that the pursuit of economic resilience should go hand in hand with increased labour market resilience, that is, the capacity of labour markets to weather shocks with limited social costs.

    EESC opinion: Euro area economic policy (2019)
  • Adopted on 17/10/2018 - Bureau decision date: 22/05/2018
    Reference
    ECO/472-EESC-2018-01-01-3054
    (Czech Republic

    The EESC welcomes and endorses the rationale behind the establishment of the Reform Support Programme. However, the EESC believes that, in order to launch the programme successfully and obtain the expected benefits, better responses are needed to a number of still open questions.

     

    EESC opinion: Reform Support Programme
  • Adopted on 17/10/2018 - Bureau decision date: 22/05/2018
    Reference
    ECO/473-EESC-2018-01-01-3003-00-00-AC-TRA
    Workers - GR II
    Malta
    (United Kingdom

    The EESC considers the proposed European Investment Stabilisation Function (EISF) as a step towards closer euro area integration, and possibly an attempt to encourage non-euro Member States to join the single currency. However, the EESC is of the view that a well-crafted union-wide insurance scheme that acts as an automatic stabiliser amidst macroeconomic shocks would be more effective than the proposed EISF.

     

    EESC opinion: European Investment Stabilisation Function