EESC info

In an exploratory opinion on the 30th anniversary of the single market, the EESC has backed the Commission's idea of an EU fund pooling resources to invest in key green tech projects rather than relaxing competition rules.

Loosening state aid rules to shield European industries from US competition following the Inflation Reduction Act could create asymmetries between wealthier Member States, such as Germany, which can subsidise their industries, and Member States with less fiscal space which cannot afford to, the EESC stressed in a new report that takes stock of 30 years of the single market and looks towards its future.

"A European Sovereignty Fund is the best way to provide new momentum to European industrial policy and investment in green technologies," said rapporteur Felipe Medina Martín from the EESC Employers' Group, who also stressed the need to review and reform current state aid rules.

"There must be a reflection on the criteria for allocating state aid, their effects and their utility," said the rapporteur. "We know that some sectors have been able to benefit from state aid, and from state aid derogations and exemptions, but others haven't. Add to this the imbalances between Member States and you get huge differences in competitiveness within the EU."

The EESC report stresses that the single market has unquestionably been one of the EU's greatest political, economic and social achievements, but must remain an ever-evolving project that keeps adapting to changing realities and rising to the challenges ahead.

Among these, open strategic autonomy should come first: supply and trade, energy and critical raw materials should be top priorities, and agreements with countries that share the same principles and values are one path worth following in this regard.

Within the internal market, the EESC flags up the worrying fact that most of the regulatory burden continues to be generated at Member State level, with national rules sometimes entering into force before EU initiatives are put forward, preventing harmonisation and potentially causing distortions in the single market. To pre-empt this, the EESC suggests that the EU should come up with legislation more proactively and swiftly.

From the workers' perspective, the EESC would like to see measures to promote business competitiveness and sustainability being matched by measures to protect the quality of work and ensure citizens' rights, consumer protection and fair conditions for smaller businesses.

"The world is changing and the paradigm that's been used for the single market over the last 30 years is also going to have to change, probably radically, if we are to overcome the new geopolitical challenges," stressed the co-rapporteur Angelo Pagliara, from the EESC Workers' Group. "If we are to guarantee genuine competitiveness, we need to fight all forms of dumping – social dumping, fiscal dumping, all kinds of dumping. Because dumping is a tool that undermines competition."

This umbrella report will be followed up by opinions addressing specific issues concerning the single market. (dm)

On the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee called upon the European Unionto adopt binding legislation to prevent psychosocial risks in the workplace. There is mounting evidence pointing to the fact that precarious work is taking a significant toll on workers' mental health.

On 27 April, the EESC presented its opinion Precarious work and mental health during a debate with the Spanish Secretary of State for Labour and Social Economy, Joaquín Pérez Rey.

The rapporteur for the opinion, José Antonio Moreno Díaz, reiterated there was clear evidence that precarious work increases the chances of workers' mental health deteriorating, making this a public health issue.

Precarious work – which covers aspects such as job insecurity, exploitative temporary contracts, long working hours and the inability to plan working time – violates workers' fundamental rights and has to be eradicated and combated in all its forms. This is why the EESC called for the adoption of binding legislation at EU level as well as for the developing and modernising the Directive on Occupational Safety and Health (89/391/EEC).

"We need to have a high-quality working environment which does not lead to either physical or psychological suffering. We need a specific EU directive on psychosocial risks," Mr Moreno Díaz said.

EESC president Oliver Röpke stated: “This Committee has been committed to contributing to the advancement of the EU’s social agenda and to build a sustainable and competitive Europe fit for 21st century. This means, among others, decent labour market conditions, supporting workers’ involvement and fighting precarious work." (ll)

One of the top priorities of the disability movement, the European Disability Card will enable people with disabilities to exercise their fundamental right to freedom of movement in the EU on the same footing as people without disabilities.

The EESC has welcomed the initiative to introduce a European Disability Card, which has been launched by the European Commission to help people with disabilities move and reside freely within the European Union.

In an opinion adopted at its plenary session in April, the EESC, however, warned that the success of the card will depend on mutual recognition of disability status between EU countries, which is currently not the case and which deprives persons with disabilities of support measures when travelling to other countries. This is a fundamental violation of their freedom of movement, which is a core EU value.

The rapporteur for the opinion, Ioannis Vardakastanis, said: "We now have first- and second-class European citizens, the first class being those who can move from one Member State to another for travel, work, or study, or to set up residence, and the second class being those who cannot. The European Disability Card will break down these barriers."

The EESC noted in the opinion that the European Disability Card had been a high priority of the disability movement and something that they had long called for. It recommended that the card be established through a regulation, as this is a more appropriate instrument that would ensure its consistent and universal application and avoid differences in implementation at national level.

Complementary measures should also be taken to ensure that transport, services and buildings are accessible to all, while the personal data contained in the card should be protected by the data protection regulations. In this way, the card will function as a European Disability Passport.

In the EESC's view, the card will compel Member States to improve current systems which are primarily based on a medical approach to disability and align them with models that abide by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

To ensure the success of the card, the EESC called for the full involvement of persons with disabilities and their organisations in all phases of its roll-out and during the monitoring process.

Another demand is for the physical separation of the EU Disability Card and EU Parking Card. This would make it easier for persons with disabilities to navigate transport systems and access public services. (ll)

The EESC describes the Commission's proposals for strengthening social dialogue in Member States and the EU as both timely and necessary, but calls for additional steps. Action is needed to improve national consultations with the social partners, national and European collective bargaining coverage and the implementation of social partner agreements.

The European Economic and Social Committee has welcomed the recent European Commission initiative to strengthen and promote social dialogue in the EU. However, it has flagged up issues that need to be addressed to ensure that social dialogue is meaningful and effective at national and European level.

In the opinion adopted at its plenary session in April, the EESC analysed the Commission's recent Communication on strengthening social dialogue and the proposal for a Council recommendation on the same topic.

The EESC warned against taking a positive outcome of social dialogue for granted and recommended that the Commission should look at successful national, regional and sectoral models and see why they became successful.

"In its ambition to strengthen social dialogue, the Commission's initiative is to be welcomed. At the same time, our opinion recommends further steps, for instance when it comes to improving tripartite social dialogue at national level, improving collective bargaining coverage, and using Council directives to develop clear rules for the implementation of social partner agreements" said the rapporteur of the opinion, Pekka Ristelä.

In the EESC's view, effective social dialogue must include representative and legitimate social partners with knowledge, technical capacity and timely access to information. It also requires the political will and commitment to engage in it. Respect for social partners' autonomy and rights, such as the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, is required, as is an enabling legal and institutional framework.

"We believe that the proposed Recommendation is an appropriate instrument to support the process if it stipulates clear and effective monitoring provisions initially proposed by the Commission. We understand from the discussion between Member States that this appears to be a problem from the outset. The final text of the Recommendation will be a litmus test for the genuine political will to truly strengthen the process," said the co-rapporteur, Maryia Mincheva.

To counter the fact that in some Member States tripartite social dialogues are more a matter of form than substance, the EESC proposes establishing a common effective framework for involving the social partners at national level. If the social partners are not meaningfully involved, the EESC recommends that the Commission take action.

The EESC noted that civil dialogue, which involves a broader range of stakeholders and topics, is a separate process. This distinction should also be made in capacity-building support for the social partners and civil society. (ll)

At its April plenary, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted an opinion on the impact of the metaverse on society. The opinion emphasises the need for the EU to swiftly address the opportunities and risks associated with the metaverse to ensure an inclusive and secure virtual environment.

The metaverse has already demonstrated its potential to offer cost-effective solutions, faster production, enhanced quality, risk reduction and improved efficiency. It also holds promise in terms of mitigating environmental impacts by enabling remote work and reducing the need for physical travel and carbon emissions.

The EESC rapporteur for the opinion, Martin Böhme, stressed that "the metaverse and virtual worlds are going to have substantial effect on our lives. There are opportunities that come with it, as well as potential pitfalls to anticipate."

Virtual worlds pose several risks, especially for children and vulnerable groups. The Committee calls on platform operators to put in place strict control mechanisms to filter and remove harmful content and safeguards to prevent harassment, abuse and exploitative behaviour. Concerns such as addiction, privacy and mental health issues are also noted among users.

Existing legislation may also not be sufficient to regulate virtual worlds. The EESC urges the EU institutions to ensure the metaverse respects real-world legislation and taxation, and that it addresses its specific needs through new measures.

The opinion points out that the industrial metaverse holds significant potential for European companies looking to optimise their operations, gather data and improve performance. Industrial challenges include the need for increased acceptance of these new technologies, reskilling the workforce and ensuring ethical and safe experiences.

"Building metaverses for business requires particular kinds of competencies, and Europe must strive to become once again a welcoming community for researchers to stay ahead of the curve" said EESC co-rapporteur Hervé Jeannin.

A second opinion on the metaverse is currently being prepared by the EESC for adoption in the second half of the year. (gb)

Long-term sustainable transport is possible, but only if people, industry and the transport sector buy into two objectives: a 90% emission reduction in the transport sector by 2050 and a commitment to using the agreed ways and means to get to the final result.

This was the message sent by the EESC opinion drafted by Stefan Back and Mateusz Szymański and adopted at the plenary session on 27 April 2023.

To achieve the objective of long-term green transport, "the transition must be attractive and realistic, and thus acceptable to citizens and businesses from three points of view: financial, social and practical," said Mr Back.

"That is the only way the transition can be actively supported by our society, otherwise the risk is not only failure, but at worst social unrest," added Mr Szymański.

More specifically, the EESC says that in order for the transition to succeed, certain conditions must be fulfilled.

First of all, businesses must feel that they are not overburdened with costs and that they will retain competitiveness, not only within but also outside the EU.

Secondly, employees must experience the transition as acceptable and be given the possibility to adapt to new working conditions in a socially acceptable manner.

Thirdly, citizens both in agglomerations and rural areas must benefit from accessibility and mobility at a reasonable cost and under good general conditions. (mp)

The EESC has renewed its request for an overhaul of the European semester, calling for an EU regulation to make civil society involvement in the cycle mandatory.

In an opinion debated and adopted at its April plenary session, the EESC stressed that economic reforms should be based on social factors and no longer solely on economic indicators. It also stressed that the process of country-specific recommendations must also be reviewed to encourage Member States to take the lead in implementing them.

The European semester is the annual six-month cycle of economic, social and fiscal policy coordination between the Member States, and also monitors the national recovery and resilience plans (RRPs). While it has played an important role since its introduction in 2011, the semester has also shown significant weaknesses.

In this opinion, the EESC renews its call for reform of the European semester in order to strengthen its transparency and democracy, the involvement of organised civil society and the effectiveness of its operation. The EESC recommends:

• reviewing and complementing existing systems of indicators, and making them consistent with each other so as to help improve evaluation procedures;
• having country-specific recommendations, one of the main instruments of the semester, cover a period of three years, with annual evaluations and reviews, and linking their implementation and funding to the EU budget, as the most appropriate incentive to ensure compliance;
• involving the social partners and civil society organisations through a structured formal consultation procedure and a specific body legally entrusted with this task. Existing national economic and social councils should also play a relevant role in this process;
• setting out the principles and general characteristics of structured and permanent involvement of organised civil society in the various stages of the European semester in an EU regulation.

Full opinion (tk)

The war in Ukraine has caused significant cross-border environmental damage, raising major concerns. The EESC urges making Russia's actions a crime under EU law and emphasises the need for environmental protection to safeguard fundamental rights.

Ukraine's ecosystems have been severely affected, with widespread destruction of forests and pollution of air and water. This poses a threat to its rich biodiversity, ecosystems, human health and agricultural production. The EESC, along with the European Parliament, advocates recognising ecocide as a criminal offence under EU law in order to hold Russia accountable and prevent future environmental disasters.

Rapporteur Ozlem Yildirim said: "The EESC stresses the urgent need to improve environmental protection from the perspective of safeguarding fundamental rights in the European Union and beyond, and that this need is exacerbated by the severe environmental damage caused by the war in Ukraine".

The Committee also calls for action to document and measure these impacts, ensuring legal protection, accountability and a just post-war recovery aligned with international standards.

The right to a healthy environment is crucial for social and economic well-being, as many jobs rely on a healthy climate. The EESC urges EU Member States and institutions to strengthen existing legal tools and efforts in order to protect the right to a healthy environment, especially considering the fragile state of ecosystems highlighted by the conflict in Ukraine. (ks)

Members saw from close up a sophisticated ecosystem which protects the environment, promotes economic success, encourages circular economy practices in agriculture and fosters social cohesion.

On 5 May, a delegation of members of the European Economic and Social Committee visited Wildpoldsried, a sustainable energy village in the German Allgäu region.

The village is renowned for its successful implementation of locally produced, renewable energy and strong public participation.

EESC members were impressed by the village's infrastructure, which included wind turbines, a biogas plant, a cogeneration plant with a local heating network, and a photovoltaic system with a battery.

Wildpoldsrieders' innovative and sustainable approach serves as a prime example of a sophisticated ecosystem that protects the environment, promotes economic success, encourages circular economy practices in agriculture and fosters social cohesion through citizen participation.

This visit was of particular interest to the EESC, as it advises the EU institutions on civil society matters and seeks to bridge the gap between societal engagement and EU policies. (ks)