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.
579th Plenary with the following guests: Bram DE WISPELAERE, deputy chief of staff, Belgian Ministry for Energy, and Pedro LINARES, Higher Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), María Rodriguez, president of the European Youth Forum; Agata Meysner, president of Generation Climate Europe, and Mireia Nadal Chiva, CEO of ReDI School of Digital Integration/Friends of Europe.
The EESC is organising a hybrid public hearing to gather the view of youth representatives, rural development experts and various stakeholders on how to promote sustainable and inclusive rural development that benefits young people and rural communities as a whole.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is working on a project on disinformation to be implemented with the help of civil society. Disinformation typically spreads among the population, often horizontally, so that the best way to tackle the problem is not in a top-down approach, but in citizens’ reflection and direct engagement. This is where organized civil society can play a crucial role.
On 9 June 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee is hosting a hearing in conjunction with its opinion on "Advertising through influencers and its impact on consumers", which was requested by the upcoming Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has looked into the advantages of modern industrial wooden construction at the request of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The EESC adopted an exploratory opinion focusing on how EU proposals such as sustainable carbon cycles, the bioeconomy strategy and the New European Bauhaus can be used to drastically reduce the huge amounts of construction-related CO2 emissions, store CO2 and make construction more efficient.
Upskilling citizens for a successful ECI with impact!
Brussels
Belgium
The 2023 edition of the EESC's annual European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) Day took place on Thursday 8 June. Participants in Brussels and online joined us to engage with high-level institutional representatives, civil society organisations and ECI organisers and supporters, and to discuss how to upskill citizens for a successful ECI with impact.
The 11th meeting of the EU-Georgia Civil Society Platform (CSP) was convened on 8 June 2023 in Tbilisi, Georgia.
During the meeting, a debate focused on assessing the implementation of the priorities outlined by the European Commission and the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement/DCFTA. The Platform also discussed the implementation of the Chapter 14 on Employment, social policy and equal opportunities, as well as media freedom and depolarisation, and the mobility of Georgian workers.
A joint declaration, prepared by both sides, was discussed and adopted.
The event is part of a series of three seminars on how the EU can further develop its role to protect, empower and support civil society organisations and human rights defenders.
This seminar will explore how the EU can further enable civil society organisations and human rights defenders’ participation in policy-making processes, and how Member States can be supported in maintaining an enabling environment for civil society actors’ participation. The seminar will be co-organised with the European Commission.
Policy debate with Margarida Marques, Vice chair of the Committee on Budgets (BUDG), European Parliament
Debate
Online event
Brussels
Belgium
Policy debate with Margarida Marques, Vice chair of the Committee on Budgets (BUDG), European Parliament, on the upcoming Mid Term Review of the Multiannual Financial Framework and a second set of new own resources for the EU budget.