Comité Económico y Social Europeo
At its plenary session in March, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate with Italy's Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Marina Elvira Calderone, on making EU labour markets stronger and more inclusive. The EESC reiterated its support for the European Commission's proposal to strengthen national equality bodies, which are entrusted with promoting equality for all and combating discrimination in employment.
El Protocolo de Progreso Social, propuesto durante la Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa, da prioridad a los derechos de los trabajadores y a los derechos sociales y sindicales cuando entran en conflicto con las libertades económicas. Sin embargo, aunque todo el mundo está de acuerdo en que los derechos sociales y las libertades económicas pueden coexistir, el apoyo a la incorporación del Protocolo al Derecho primario de la UE dista mucho de ser unánime y existen opiniones divergentes entre los interlocutores sociales y en la comunidad académica, tal y como se confirmó en una audiencia del CESE
As part of the European Year of Skills, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a conference on "Skills and talents as key drivers for personal fulfilment, economic growth and competitiveness" on 10 March to assess the needs and issue recommendations regarding skills development in the EU.
Persistent health inequalities are a huge factor behind the twofold higher mortality rate of people with disabilities, who on average die 10 to 20 years earlier than people without a disability. At the top of the list of barriers creating such inequalities are exorbitant treatment costs, inaccessible transport and health facilities, and stigma – but also a healthcare workforce that lacks proper training on disability issues.
On International Women's Day 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on dismantling gender stereotypes in education, which are still stopping girls and young women from making their own study and career choices and achieving their full professional potential.
At its plenary session on 22 February, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate that warned about companies' growing struggle to get a skilled workforce and pointed to the pressing need for an all-encompassing skills strategy at all levels. The debate saw the participation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD), SMEunited and Social Economy Europe.
The European Commission's proposal for a comprehensive European care strategy that should guarantee to all Europeans the possibility of receiving high quality healthcare and care service throughout their lifetime has been met with approval by the EESC
The technical limit value for asbestos exposure should ultimately be set at a lower level than the Commission is currently proposing in a recent Directive regulating the protection of workers from dangers of occupational asbestos exposure, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) said in an opinion adopted at its plenary session in December.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomed the Commission's proposal for a Directive on asset recovery and confiscation as an important step towards combatting money laundering and terrorist financing in the EU. Despite a general improvement in some of the Member States, the percentage of criminal assets that are frozen or confiscated remains extremely low across the EU.
With both external and internal threats to Europe's liberal democracy on the rise, it is becoming more and more important to protect media pluralism and independence
