Thanks to their bold ambition to ensure a life free of any discrimination and intimidation for each and every child and to break down the cycle of disadvantage across generations, the EU's two new comprehensive initiatives on children's rights have been receiving positive reactions. However, there are concerns as to whether their implementation in the Member States will go as smoothly as hoped, an EESC hearing has found
The EESC's Transatlantic Relations Follow-up Committee met just days ahead of the high‑level EU-US summit, marking the importance of civil society's transatlantic dialogue. Amongst a wide range of subjects to work together on, the meeting put special emphasis on issues of climate change and trade.
Rooted in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which was the first international treaty to take a human rights approach to disability, the EU Disability Strategy for the next decade is a promising document with many commendable proposals and only a few flaws. But for the strategy to be able to live up to its promise of ending discrimination against 87 million European with disabilities, its implementation will require a strong political will and resources.
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on Europe's labour markets, taking the heaviest toll on the lowest paid sectors and those involving a high level of human interaction. Whereas the possibility of working remotely and the government measures taken across Europe have managed to cushion the most severe blows by keeping people employed and businesses running, the EU and the Member States will have to take action to curb inequalities once the support policies are withdrawn
Solidarity à la carte, too strong a focus on border controls and too little emphasis on legal and labour migration pathways are among the main faults found in the New Migration Pact, with few tangible achievements in Member States’ negotiations on how to deliver a comprehensive policy that can successfully rise to the challenge of effectively managing migration to the EU
Hay que poner fin al aumento de las brechas entre las zonas rurales y urbanas y coordinar mejor las políticas para cerrar esas brechas. La nueva PAC no bastará por sí sola para lograr un reequilibrio entre el campo y la ciudad, dos ámbitos mutuamente relacionados. Para que Europa combata de verdad las desigualdades hay que poner en marcha un conjunto más amplio de políticas e instrumentos de financiación.
Equal pay for men and women or for work of equal value is one of the fundamental rights and principles of the EU, but on average women are still paid 14% less per hour than men, with pay differences present in all sectors and widening with age. Although welcomed as a much-needed step to close the gender pay gap, the Commission's proposal on pay transparency is receiving a mixed response, an EESC hearing found.
La normativa de la UE sobre el uso en la agricultura de productos fitosanitarios (plaguicidas) y otras sustancias químicas figura entre las más estrictas del mundo. Sin embargo, todavía hay margen de mejora para lograr una mayor convergencia normativa a fin de reducir los riesgos asociados al uso de productos fitosanitarios y garantizar un suministro de alimentos sanos y seguros para una población mundial en constante crecimiento.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) proposed by the European Commission to curtail the ever growing power of digital giants in Europe are fit for purpose, in the EESC's view, provided they go hand and hand with the taxation of tech companies, better working conditions for platform workers and data governance.
La Comisión Europea ha aprendido de las deficiencias del anterior marco de la UE para la integración de los gitanos en la última década y está decidida a lograr los objetivos principales del nuevo marco estratégico y reducir al menos a la mitad la brecha de discriminación y exclusión socioeconómica de los gitanos de aquí a 2030. Sin embargo, el papel de los Estados miembros resulta crucial para obtener resultados tangibles. Sin unas estrategias eficaces y medidas pragmáticas a nivel nacional, el nuevo marco corre el riesgo de fracasar igual que su predecesor.
