Euroopa Majandus- ja Sotsiaalkomitee
The conference was originally planned for 12 March 2020 and postponed several times as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisers decided to reschedule the event and to organise it in January 2022 (the exact date will be decided in October or November 2021).
GDP is the best-known measure of macro-economic activity. While it is used both by policy-makers around the world and in public debates, it was not designed to be a comprehensive measure of prosperity and well-being. Thus, other indicators are needed to assess and address the global challenges of the 21st century such as climate change, poverty, resource depletion and to promote health and a higher quality of life. Beyond GDP indicators should become instruments to not only monitor and measure, but also to inform policy development, improve communication and encourage target setting. Against this background, the Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is currently working on an own-initiative opinion on 'Beyond GDP measures for a successful recovery and a sustainable and resilient EU economy'.
This event aims to raise awareness among policymakers and other stakeholders of the important contribution of community/grassroots initiatives to global goals and to navigating social, environmental and economic changes in support of wider transformation.
As in previous years, the European Economic and Social Committee, as the body representing organized civil society at the EU, will be following the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), from Tuesday, 6 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021. The HLPF is the United Nations central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
On 13 July 2021, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will hold a public side-event in the context of the United Nations' High Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF), an annual space to review commitment and progress made on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which will be held from 6th to 15th July 2021 in New York.
This EU Green Week partner event aims to take stock of the implementation of sustainable development policy in the EU and the intake of SDGs.
The presentation of key findings and policy recommendations of the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2020 by the authors will be followed by a conversation with various stakeholders and a discussion with the NAT Section Members.
As Europe embarks on its ambitious green and digital transitions in a more unsettled and unpredictable world, it is essential that the right strategies and means to maintaining and improving the EU's competitiveness are duly reasoned and substantiated. De-carbonisation and digitalisation are two mutually reinforcing and intertwined processes that represent an unparalleled opportunity to move out of the fragility of the COVID-19 crisis and – strengthen the position of the EU in key strategic value chains while preserving the benefits of an open economy.
To mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the EESC and the German Development Institute/Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) organise under the patronage of the German Presidency of the Council of the EU an online event bringing together the EU Institutions, the COP26 UK Presidency, the High-Level Climate Champions and key climate actors to discuss opportunities to strengthen engagement and climate action.
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) played a central role in bringing the consensual views of organised civil society in the EU to the attention of policy-makers and contributing to the rapidly evolving economic policy response at European level.
In this regard, we believe that now is the time for the EU institutions to make decisive steps in approving swiftly the new Facility and putting in place the necessary implementation mechanisms at European and national level, so that the hardest hit Member States, citizens and businesses can benefit from the relevant EU funding when they need it most.
