The purpose of the opinion is to contribute to the further development of foresight in EU's policy-making. The opinion provides the EESC's views on the Commission's 2023 Annual foresight Report, which focused on the sustainability and people's wellbeing at the heart of Europe's Open Strategic Autonomy, as well as recommendations on how to strengthen the Strategic Foresight Agenda.
In this opinion, the EESC underlines that is highly important for the EU Talent Pool to be a practical, reliable, easy to use tool that is attractive for workersandemployers and supports fair and ethical legal labour migration into the EU. It insists that skills and competences of workers from third countries should be assessed and swiftly validated to ensure that their skills are certified and they can obtain their qualifications when necessary.
Microplastics are persistent, very mobile, and hard to remove from nature. Microplastics are widespread in the world and in the human body, and a cause of growing concerns. Plastic pellets are found in water and soil, including agricultural lands, and harm ecosystems and biodiversity. Plastic pellets are the one of the largest sources of unintentional microplastic pollution.
For the first time, the European Commission proposes measures to prevent microplastic pollution from the unintentional release of plastic pellets.
Since the inception of the Single Market, the EU has prioritized open, rule-based trade and economic stability. Recent global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and rising geopolitical tensions, underscored vulnerabilities in Europe's economic structure, compelling a strategic response.
Download — ETSK:n lausunto: European economic security strategy
The EESC supports the development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an alternative to court proceedings when consumers seek redress for the damage traders may cause them, alongside accessible judicial proceedings and enforcement of consumer rights by national authorities. It considers enforcement by national authorities to be essential as a foundation of trust in consumer protection, while redress, whether through court or an ADR procedure, offers a way to restore trust when an incident occurs between consumer and trader.
Download — ETSK:n lausunto: Alternative dispute resolution
The Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union asked the EESC to provide their insights on the rethinking of the internal market in light of the acceleration of the Union’s twin transitions towards a green and digital economy and on crafting a European Industrial Strategy that positions industries as the backbone of Europe's economy.
Download — ETSK:n lausunto: Developing a new European strategy for the Internal Market: helping our businesses to meet technological, social, environmental and competition challenges
