CDP European Roundtable which brings together leading businesses, public officials and CDP experts to discuss the latest topics in sustainable business. On 20 February CDP partnered with the EESC to organise this year's Roundtable. The event report is now available.
The Finnish presidency of the Council of the EU will place the fight against climate change high on its agenda. One of the challenges will be to unite the 28 Member States around this fight and focus on the opportunities that a more sustainable Europe can provide for economic, social and environmental progress.
EESC puts forward proposal to increase their contributions. The bioeconomy is a crucial factor in fighting climate change, responding to the growing food demand and boosting rural areas. In its opinion on the Updating of the Bioeconomy Strategy, adopted at its plenary session of 15 May, the EESC calls for better support for SMEs in the form of advice and access to finance
Es necesario reforzar el proyecto europeo para afrontar en mejores condiciones un mundo en transición: esta fue la principal conclusión de la mesa redonda celebrada el 4 de marzo en la sede de la Representación de la Comisión Europea en Madrid con el título “Políticas europeas para un mundo en transición: retos ante las próximas elecciones europeas”.
Aunque han venido desempeñando hasta la fecha un papel decisivo en el ámbito de la acción climática, los agentes no estatales y subnacionales se enfrentan a menudo con obstáculos infranqueables. En la Conferencia sobre el Cambio Climático de la COP24 que se está celebrando en Katowice (Polonia) del 2 al 14 de diciembre de 2018, el presidente del Comité Económico y Social Europeo (CESE), Luca Jahier, ha insistido en la urgencia de abordar el cambio climático subrayando que Europa debe adoptar un nuevo mecanismo de sostenibilidad que incluya la gobernanza multilateral.
Shortly after the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report of 8 October urging countries to massively shift towards a new paradigm, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted an opinion arguing for a "finance-climate pact" to ensure the financing of the necessary transitions. With the EU budget for the period 2021/2027 about to be adopted, the EESC tables the most ambitious proposal among the EU institutions: 40% of the EU budget should be devoted to the fight against climate change and its consequences, be it environmental, economic or social.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), together with ECOLISE, the European network for community-led initiatives on climate change and sustainability, and the Committee of the Regions (CoR), held the conference on "Civil Society and Municipalities: building sustainability through collaboration" on 20 September. It took place as part of the 2nd European Day of Sustainable Communities.
In September 2017, I was approached, in my former role as SDO President, by a coalition of non-state actors called the Europe Ambition 2030 Group who wanted to build on the "Rethink Europe" letter signed by the former President of the European Council, former prime ministers, former Commission vice-presidents, the current WTO executive director and former ministers of finance and labour, experts in finance, statistics, food security, gender issues and European policies, and other distinguished persons. The letter invites Europeans – both state and non-state actors - to "rethink Europe"’ in connection with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN Agenda 2030 "Transforming Our World".
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) urges the Commission to be more rigorous in facilitating consumers' access to new, cleaner and affordable forms of mobility, and to introduce stronger financial support for public transport. The opinion on "Achieving low emission targets", which was adopted during last week's plenary session, discussed the Commission's proposal on how to effectively reduce gas emissions produced by road transport.
Effective integration of legal migrants and refugees will benefit Europe's labour markets, plagued by skills and labour shortages. If tackled properly, the migration challenge could be turned into a real opportunity not only for our economies but also for our society as a whole, participants in the European Migration Forum (EMF) concluded last week.
