The 2026 Civil Society Week organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) concluded on Thursday 5 March with the achievement of an important milestone. The stage is now set for the EESC to take part in the Commission's Civil Society Platform and host its annual summit.
After 14 successful years, the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) has proven that it is no longer an experiment. With four initiatives surpassing the one-million-signature threshold in 2025, the ECI carries institutional responsibility. The key question, however, is how the political system can translate one million signatures into concrete EU legislation.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has launched the 2026 edition of Civil Society Week under the theme ‘People, Democracy, Resilience – Our Future’. From 2 to 5 March, the event will bring together more than 1 300 participants, including youth organisations, activists, organised civil society representatives from across Europe, journalists and EU policymakers. Discussions will focus on tackling poverty, combating social exclusion, fostering civic engagement and bridging divides between regions and between generations to rebuild trust and strengthen social cohesion.
The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2026 (ESDR 2026), a new report released today by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), shows that progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has stalled in Europe, with stagnation or even reversal on some environmental and socio-economic targets, and declining political prioritization of the SDGs within EU leadership.
Après la présentation du plan européen pour des logements abordables par la Commission européenne en décembre dernier, le Comité économique et social européen (CESE) a réuni tous les acteurs concernés par ce dossier aux niveaux européen, national et local pour faire le point sur l’urgence qui touche aujourd’hui le logement et discuter des pistes pour l’avenir. Le Comité entend lutter contre la spéculation, combler les retards d’investissement et veiller à ce que les entreprises restent compétitives.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) considers sodium batteries a strategically important technology for Europe and calls for them to become a key element of the EU’s industrial strategy, as highlighted during the Committee’s plenary session debate on the potential of these batteries, held on 19 February, and in its latest adopted opinion.
À l’approche du quatrième anniversaire de l’invasion à grande échelle de l’Ukraine par la Russie, le Comité économique et social européen (CESE) a tenu à insister lourdement sur les effets durables et complexes que la guerre aura sur les enfants et les jeunes. Le Comité plaide en faveur d’une action européenne coordonnée qui associe étroitement la société civile et les partenaires internationaux, afin d’aider les jeunes ukrainiens à se remettre de cette épreuve et à garder espoir dans l’avenir.
The 5th edition of the EU Organic Awards is now open for applications from 10 February to 26 April 2026. These awards celebrate leaders in the organic value chain who develop inspiring projects that enhance organic food production and consumption.
This year’s winners will be celebrated at the Awards Ceremony on the EU Organic Day, 23 September in Brussels.
Debates at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) plenary revealed strong alignment between the Cyprus Presidency’s five priorities and the Committee’s own work programme: security and preparedness, competitiveness, openness to the world, a Union of values that leaves no one behind, and a robust long-term EU budget.
EESC called for swift, concrete action to accelerate AI deployment across the EU, especially for SMEs and scale-ups. In a global AI race driven by speed and scale, Europe must position reliability and trustworthiness as its defining strengths.
