The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls on the Commission to reflect in more depth on policy options that help both to reduce greenhouse gases and thus fight climate change and to maintain competitiveness. The goal must be to better protect and promote the EU's resource and energy-intensive industries (REII), otherwise Europe runs the risk of losing jobs to less clean economies and missing its goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

El Comité Económico y Social Europeo considera que envejecer dignamente debe convertirse en un derecho fundamental. Los europeos viven más tiempo, lo que es una buena noticia.  Pero el envejecimiento conlleva nuevos retos sociales, económicos y sanitarios que afectan a las personas mayores y a sus familias y sociedades. En opinión del CESE, durante demasiado tiempo se ha descuidado este tema y no se han anticipado las crecientes necesidades de las personas mayores.En su Dictamen, el Comité destaca el enorme potencial que representan las personas mayores para la creación de nuevos empleos y el progreso tecnológico.

In the event of a deal, the UK should stay aligned with EU laws; for chemicals, the REACH regulation is key. As for the aeronautics industry, agreements on reciprocity in the most important areas should be put in place. The planned transition period is too short, however, and should be extended to at least five years.

It needs target-oriented support to blossom fully

The Creative Europe programme must help the industry to flourish and unleash its full potential. The main focus needs to be placed on social inclusion, by creating sustainable, well-paid jobs and helping Europe's various creative industries to become competitive on the world market.