The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
supports expanding decentralised energy generation, which can reduce the need for grid expansion and strengthen public acceptance of the energy transition; and calls for stronger EU coordination in grid governance while maintaining Member States’ responsibility for planning and oversight when the costs of grid expansion, congestion management and stability are primarily national, and underlines the importance of accelerating the digitalisation of electricity networks and ensuring network development plans align with National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs);
Climate ambitions in the automotive sector should be fully aligned with competitiveness drivers vis-a-vis global competitors and with preparedness strategies and plans.
underlines that regulatory simplification should not come at the expense of established road safety standards or the protection of drivers and vulnerable road users, including cyclists and pedestrians;
urges the Commission to adopt far more ambitious measures to address the structural housing crisis, including better framework conditions, a right to adequate and affordable housing in EU primary law, a fundamental reform of the energy market design, sufficient funding and a stronger focus on young people, families and sustainability.
calls on the co-legislators to support the objectives and measures set out in the European Commission’s proposals, particularly on central supervision by ESMA;
ensure that any simplification of sustainable finance legislation, including disclosure requirements, does not weaken the contribution of the financial system and its credit and investment products to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal within the legally bound timelines, and does not weaken measures against greenwashing;
supports the revision of the Tobacco Taxation Directive, recognising the need to adapt the excise framework to market developments, new products and public health objectives, while stressing that the reform must remain proportionate, predictable and economically sustainable;
fully supports the Commission’s efforts to promote a more comprehensive and holistic approach to tackling VAT fraud by enabling the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to access value added tax (VAT) data under Council Regulation (EU) No 904/2010;
regrets that the Commission has once again refrained from presenting the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey (ASGS) and stresses that sustainable economic growth is a necessary condition for Europe to meet its multiple commitments, welcomes the European Macroeconomic Report, which provides a deep dive into the underlying structural challenges facing the EU and the new recommendation on human capital, which is a crucial element in filling the EU technological gap, also taking into account the EU demographic challenge;