Building up a more sustainable and resilient European economy and completing Economic and Monetary Union should be priorities for the next European Commission and European Parliament: these points emerged from a public hearing held by the European Economic and Social Committee on 12 April 2019.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is taking stock, ahead of the European elections, of EU transport, energy and digital policies and reiterates that the European Union is built on a daily basis through the contribution of civil society organisations.
Civil society representatives from both the EU and Turkey called on Turkish authorities to undertake major reforms in the fields of rule of law and human rights as a prerequisite to resume accession negotiations with the EU. This was one of the main conclusions of the 38th meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held in Brussels on 8 and 9 April, which also agreed on the important role of the JCC as an open channel for exchanges at civil society level.
The EESC recommends measures against EU countries with authoritarian governments and proposes to have undemocratic political parties excluded from the European Parliament
The EMF points to the power of the grassroots level for making a difference in the successful management of migration and highlights the pressing need to include migrants' views when developing integration policies
The euro ranks second in the world as a reserve currency and as a currency used for fixed income securities issues and international trade transactions. However, its use internationally has yet to return to levels before the financial crisis, and its future role in the international monetary system is tied to the economic prospects of the euro area.
Organised civil society tables proposals for regaining citizens' support for European integration and achieving sustainable economic growth and social progress in the EU
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted at its March plenary session an opinion on the Joint Communication "Connecting Europe and Asia – Building blocks for an EU Strategy", issued by the European Commission and the EU High Representative in September 2018. The EESC considers it to be a seriously missed opportunity, with many significant strategic gaps, little ambition and no real depth of vision offered as to the development of EU's relationship and connectivity with Asia.
Endocrine disruptors are substances of particular concern; in order to minimise or better avoid any risks, the use of these substances must be embedded in coherent and harmonised EU legislation.
The European Union urgently needs a new, ambitious and clear strategy for its future. Cohesion policy must be an integral part of it. New provisions for cohesion policy post-2020 must provide for sufficient means and guarantee improved policy efficiency and visibility, urges the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in an exploratory opinion on the future of cohesion policy, requested by the Romanian Council Presidency.
