Euroopan talous- ja sosiaalikomitea
The EESC Consumers and Environment Category has made significant contributions to the protection of consumer rights and the environment in Europe. It has championed topics such as the regulation of consumer over-indebtedness, planned obsolescence and the circular economy. Fair and just climate mitigation and adaptation must take centre stage of the Category's activities in the future as consumers and citizens will be key actors in the green transition.
Conference '30 years defending European consumers', 1 October 2021
Statement by the Diversity Europe Group III
An interview with Arnaud Schwartz, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) from the Diversity Europe group, representing France Nature Environnement, the French federation of associations for the protection of nature and the environment. He is currently one of the Vice Presidents of the NAT Bureau and his work focuses in particular on the protection of the environment.
Despite being a party to the Aarhus Convention since 2005, the European Union is still not fully complying with its "access to justice" provisions. In its opinion adopted on 27 January, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the Commission's proposal to revise the EU Aarhus Regulation as a step forward in improving access to administrative and judicial review procedures in environmental matters for citizens and NGOs. However, the Commission does not go far enough. Civil society organisations are asking the EU for stronger enforcement mechanisms to deliver effectively on the Aarhus Convention and on the European Green Deal.
On one of the most important weeks of the year for climate action, with the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the European Council on Climate, and the launching on 16 December of the Climate Pact by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls upon ownership and empowerment of civil society as a precondition to success.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted the opinion From Farm to Fork: a sustainable food strategy at its September Plenary session, following the European Commission's communication on the Farm to Fork Strategy - for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system. As an integral part of the European Green Deal, this is the first EU strategy claiming to encompass the entirety of the food chain.
Since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, various jurisdictions throughout the world have implemented Emissions Trading Systems (ETSs). The EU ETS is the largest and oldest one and it is going to be overhauled in line with the EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework. In an opinion adopted at its September plenary session, the EESC provides an overview of the EU ETS and of other ETSs globally and outlines approaches to regulate trade in this new deal of carbon markets.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted the opinion 2030 Biodiversity Strategy during its September Plenary session, following the European Commission's communication on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 - Bringing nature back into our lives.
The COVID-19 crisis has created the conditions for circular products and services to become the norm in Europe, says the EESC. In a recent opinion on the new EU Circular Economy Action Plan, the EESC urges lawmakers to ensure the circular economy finds a place and resources in the overall "greenprint" for Europe's recovery.
