Ongoing negotiations on enlargement, visa liberalisation, customs union can only progress in an atmosphere of respect of civil liberties, EU and turkey organisations say
The 36th meeting of the EU-Turkey JCC took place at the EESC in Brussels on 18 and 19 July 2017. At the opening session EESC President Georges Dassis welcomed the ...
Creating a positive narrative for the EU, strengthening its economic foundations, fostering its social dimension, facilitating the transition towards a low-carbon and circular economy and empowering and involving Civil Society. These are the main messages of the contribution of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) to the European Commission's 2018 Work Programme. The EESC calls on the Commission to adopt sustainable development as an overarching ...
The EESC held the 6th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum in Sarajevo on 10-11 July. Participants adopted a Final Declaration calling for increased media freedom, opening the doors of the Western Balkans to EU enlargement, the implementation of migration policies and increased employment opportunities, and working on women's rights.
"Brexit means uncertainty", said Michel Barnier at the outset of the debate with EESC members on 6 July, "uncertainty for citizens, businesses and jobs". He stressed his task was to negotiate on the basis of what the United Kingdom put on the table, which included no free movement for EU citizens, full autonomy of laws, no role for the European Court of Justice and the autonomy to sign free trade agreements. The latter involves leaving the customs union and the single market. But there was also one certainty...
Europe's rural regions vary within and between Member States. It is important to be aware of these differences and to ensure that rural programmes and measures take into account the differences at EU and Member State level. In its own-initiative opinion From Cork 2.0 declaration to concrete action, the EESC calls for more targeted...
When deciding on its future path, the European Union should seek a common sense of purpose along the lines of that which inspired its founding fathers and has hallmarked all of its major...
The EESC has launched its 2017 Civil Society Prize. This year, the EESC will reward innovative projects to promote quality employment and entrepreneurship for the future of work undertaken by civil society, focusing on young people, migrants and other people who have difficulty accessing the labour market. A total of EUR 50.000 will be awarded to a maximum of five winners. The deadline for applications is 8 September 2017 while the award ceremony will take place on 7 December 2017 in Brussels.
The EU-China Round Table's fifteenth meeting took place in Beijing from 28 to 30 June 2017, marking 10 years since it was first set up. The theme of the 2-day meeting of delegations from the EESC and the China Economic and Social Council (CESC) was “Partnership for Growth, Civilization of mutual benefit”. The main topics of debate were innovation as a driver for economic vitality, trade, investment and social and labour rights, summed up in a joint statement.
During the 2ndEuropean day of Social Economy Enterprises (SEEs) at the EESC, over 130 social economy representatives called on policy-makers to scale-up their efforts to enable the development of the Social Economy. In his opening speech, Michael Smyth, EESC Vice-President, said: Social Economy Enterprises have become crucial, not only because they contribute to social integration, territorial cohesion and new economic models, but also because they play a role in shaping the future of Europe
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On 26-27 June, the EESC, joining forces with other civil society organisations and European institutions, hosted the annual Civil Society Days. This major gathering of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from across Europe provided strong civil society input to the reflection on the future of Europe launched by the Commission with its "White Paper on the future of Europe". A forceful call was made for a new political impetus to relaunch the EU on the basis of our fundamental values and also to express a clear commitment by civil society organisations to forge ahead.
