Poverty is not simply a lack of income. It can mean being unable to afford food, heating, healthcare or secure housing, or to participate fully in society. To mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) highlights its longstanding call for coordinated European action to tackle its many interconnected causes.
We, at the EESC Workers’ Group, express our full solidarity with the Irish trade unions and the hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, taking industrial action to demand fair pay and decent working conditions. We salute the massive participation from all sectors in what is shaping up to be the biggest day of nationwide industrial action since 2008.
The European Union must ensure that today’s political choices do not lead to further inequalities or leave future generations carrying an unfair share of the costs. This is the central message of an opinion adopted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which calls for intergenerational fairness to become a measurable principle embedded across all EU policies.
Responsibility for preventing cyberbullying must rest primarily with digital platforms rather than with children and young people. This is the central message of a new opinion in which the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for stronger platform accountability, straightforward reporting procedures and meaningful youth participation in the fight against harmful online behaviour.
Europe’s response to terrorism and violent extremism must combine effective security measures with prevention, democratic resilience and the systematic involvement of civil society. This is the central message of an opinion adopted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which warns that security measures alone cannot address the complex and interconnected threats facing the EU.
Public services should not primarily be regarded as a cost to public finances, but as a strategic investment in democracy, social cohesion, economic development and the functioning of the EU. This is the core message of an opinion adopted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on how the sector can adapt to new challenges in the EU.
With the UN's targets still off track for 2030, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is calling for faster action. In a Resolution on the EU's priorities for 71st session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW71), the Committee highlights persistent barriers to women's economic independence and leadership, widespread gender-based violence and the need for stronger cooperation between EU institutions, Member States, social partners and civil society.
The document highlights the Worker's Group priorities for 2025-2030. Our work is proposing or updating policies to improve the European project that would ensure growth and social sustainability, would have an effect on rebuilding the bond of trust between our workers, the citizens, across our Member States and the European Institutions. It is a roadmap for renewal. It challenges us to think boldly about the future or our movement and reminds us that our strength has always been our ability to adapt without abandoning our core values of solidarity, social progress and social justice.
Le Semestre européen repose de plus en plus sur la capacité des États membres à mettre en œuvre réformes et investissements. La plupart du temps, les retards ne résultent pas d’un manque de financement ou d’orientations politiques, mais bien de goulots d’étranglement administratifs, d’une expertise technique limitée, d’une bureaucratie excessive, de procédures complexes ou d’une coordination insuffisante entre les différents niveaux de pouvoir au niveau national. Le débat thématique examinera donc comment le Semestre européen pourrait mieux évaluer et suivre les capacités administratives au niveau national, ainsi que la question de savoir si la réforme de l’administration devrait occuper une place plus importante dans les recommandations par pays. Il s’agira également de tirer des enseignements de la mise en œuvre des plans nationaux pour la reprise et la résilience, d’étudier si des instruments tels que l’instrument d’appui technique pourraient jouer un rôle accru dans le soutien aux réformes. Enfin, il s’agira de comprendre comment ces instruments peuvent contribuer, sur le long terme, à renforcer les capacités des administrations nationales et des parties prenantes.
Lancement des Perspectives européennes de l’emploi et de la situation sociale (EESO) 2026
Location
Comité économique et social européen (CESE), rue Belliard 99-101
Bruxelles
Belgium
Organisée conjointement par la Commission européenne et le Comité économique et social européen (CESE), cette conférence sera l’occasion de débattre des principaux enseignements tirés des perspectives européennes en matière sociale et d’emploi (EESO) 2026 – le rapport phare de la direction générale de l’emploi, des affaires sociales et de l’inclusion (DG EMPL) de la Commission européenne.
La conférence réunira des orateurs de haut niveau issus d'institutions et d'instituts de recherche de l'UE. Mme Roxana Mînzatu, vice-présidente exécutive de la Commission européenne, et Mme Cinzia Del Rio, présidente de la section spécialisée "Emploi, affaires sociales, citoyenneté" du CESE, ouvriront la manifestation.
