The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
Dans l’UE comme dans les pays voisins, la démocratie représentative traverse une crise de légitimité. Un des moyens de relever ce défi, qui met en péril nos sociétés démocratiques, est de promouvoir la participation. La participation aux processus démocratiques locaux est un gage de confiance, permet d’appréhender la complexité des processus démocratiques et responsabilise les citoyens.
The organisation of the annual ECI Day - which I hope will remain a landmark in years to come with more and more partners on board - is also clear proof of our commitment to initiate dialogue on this tool. Last year's event was only a small seminar to celebrate the launch of the ECI process, but it attracted many people.
We have also supported the ECI process by hosting technical working groups on the online signature collection software, bringing together IT experts and ECI organisers to see what can be improved on (participants will hear about the ongoing work during the afternoon's panel).
Staffan Nilsson's speeches at the European Citizens' Initiative Day 2013
The EESC believes that there is much more to European citizenship, and that a political system such as the EU must cultivate and strengthen the political, social and cultural dimensions of the Union. If we want people to feel truly connected to Europe, we need to develop their ability to exercise political power ("power" in the sense of participation in governance). We can develop that ability by providing knowledge about the political system and using mechanisms that allow for participation from the bottom up.
Staffan Nilsson`s opening speech at the YourEurope2013 open space event
We were all happy when the European Commission designated 2013 as the European Year of Citizens. Citizens play a central role in Europe’s future and integration. What could be more appropriate and timely to dedicate a European Year to them?
Staffan Nilsson's opening remarks at the Liaison Group meeting
This conference is very timely; demographic trends pose major challenges to the labour market. It suffers from structural problems. Young people, in particular, find it difficult to gain a footing in the labour market, despite skills they have. It is not only the case in Europe. It is also a major problem in Tunisia, where the demographic trend is the opposite: it is a very young population with high skills and no jobs.
President`s conclusions at the ETF Coroprate Conference 2012- Multilevel Governance in Education and Training
À la veille du sommet européen du 23 mai, le président du Comité économique et social européen appelle une nouvelle fois à faire preuve de leadership, de clarté et de fermeté pour garantir le développement futur de l'Union européenne.
Declaration Staffan Nilsson, President of the European Economic and Social Committee