The son of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in 2017 while reporting on government corruption, addressed the EESC's December plenary session and said that a European rule of law monitoring mechanism could help defend journalism against all forms of pressure.

"The European Parliament is working to introduce a rule of law monitoring mechanism and the new Commission seems amenable to it. We need to really work together to make sure that it has teeth and is fit for purpose and that the values that make up the European Union are just as enforceable as the values that underpin our single market," he said.

The EESC president, Luca Jahier, stressed how vital free journalism was for the proper and balanced functioning of our society: "Media freedom is at the core of the values we hold dear. If journalists are silenced, so is democracy. The revelations of the past few weeks have confirmed what Daphne had long warned about before her murder: that the rule of law in the European Union's smallest Member State had been compromised by those very people whose duty it was to protect the citizens of Malta. Since then, other journalists have died while working on investigative stories. All stood up for democracy and the rule of law. All died because nothing could silence them."

The assembly paid tribute to Daphne's invaluable work, unanimously reaffirming the importance of a free press and highlighting the essential role played by journalists in defending our fundamental freedoms every day, which, together with democracy and the rule of law, contribute to peace and stability in Europe. (mp)

The EESC hosted a debate on development cooperation policy at its December plenary session, stressing that it is essential to improve relations between the EU and African civil society in order to progress from help to development to partnership.

Relations between European and African civil society must be at the heart of the EU-ACP Partnership Agreement, in which continued – and even increased – engagement by the EESC and its bodies should be acknowledged as a central element. Only in this way can EU civil society help African civil society become a reliable and trustworthy partner for investors.

EESC president Luca Jahier expressed his hope that current negotiations will provide a stronger role for organised civil society and for the EESC. "The future of Africa is the future of Europe. We need a new African Renaissance", said Jahier.

Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, highlighted the important work carried out by civil society organisations, and maintained that "The European development model must evolve with global realities. We all need to be involved in and committed to the Green Deal". Isabelle A. J. Durant, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), mentioned that multilateral agreements could help countries that had difficulties with international trade and that they were the only way to achieve a win-win situation for all actors involved. (dgf)

The EESC calls for more robust EU housing policies and, at a public conference held in Brussels on 4 December 2019, asked the EU to adopt urgent common measures in this field. The real danger of excessive housing costs no longer affects only the most disadvantaged, but also an ever-growing part of the rest of the population. Therefore, housing policies at European level must not be restricted to assisting vulnerable individuals and people in need, but must be broadened with the aim of providing affordable homes for all Europeans.

Pierre Jean Coulon, president of the TEN section, underlined that the energy transition could only be successful if the social dimension of housing was reaffirmed. "There is no fight against climate change without the social dimension of housing. Better social housing is the guarantee of success in taking climate action: quality housing means a better life for citizens and this will bring about a successful climate transition," he stated.

Echoing his words, Raymond Hencks, president of the Temporary Study Group on Services of General Interest, pointed to the challenge of definitively including these issues on the political agenda of the new European Commission in order to resolve the housing crisis that has continued to grow since 2008. "The right to housing is an international obligation of the Member States which the EU is bound to respect and is stated in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and in the Lisbon Treaty," he said. (mp)

As in previous years, the EESC attended the COP25, the annual Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which this year took place in Madrid, Spain, ending on 15 December 2019. Unfortunately, countries failed to agree on many of the expected outcomes, including rules for setting up a global carbon trading scheme and a system for channelling new finance to countries affected by climate change.

The EESC is deeply concerned about the growing disconnect between the climate emergency and the political response to the climate crisis at COP25. Without any clear signs of increased ambition on the part of the major polluters, despite the continuous rise in emissions, the EESC expects the EU to take the lead and deliver on its promise of growth that gives back more than it takes away.

During the second week of the COP25, the European Commission came forward with its European Green Deal – a top priority and a new growth strategy for the EU. A commitment to climate neutrality by 2050 and clear ambition in the EU's contribution to the COP26 in Glasgow are necessary if we are serious about dealing with the climate crisis.

The EESC stresses that the transition to a climate-neutral society must be implemented through a competitive, socially fair and multilateral approach, and that appropriate tools must be put in place to achieve full involvement of and acceptance by civil society, including all citizens, businesses and organisations.

At the COP25, the EESC co-organised two side events: on Combining Circular Economy Principles with GHG-reduction strategies and Leaving no-one behind in the transition to climate neutrality. It also took an active part in several other high-level events, in particular presenting the role of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform co-hosted by the EESC. (sbe)

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires more than political commitment. Increased investment, especially by the private sector, is needed to address current societal challenges.

In a recently adopted opinion, the EESC underlines the importance of private business in achieving the SDGs and advises the EU and its Member States to adjust their investment and tax policies to enhance growth prospects and thereby private sector contributions to accomplishing the SDGs.

Rapporteur Krister Andersson explained: "Taxation policies determine the economic environment in which investment, employment and innovation in businesses take place and they provide governments with revenues for financing public spending. These policies are hence fundamental for achieving the SDGs and they must be made fit for purpose".

The EESC proposes that taxation be used as an instrument for environmental protection and to govern the digitalised and informal economies.

Environmental tax policies could promote affordable and clean energy and a responsible use of common natural resources. Appropriately designed tax systems, using broad tax bases and non-distorting tax rates, and an institutional framework which allows for the integration of the informal sector into the formal economy, would also have a positive effect on several SDGs. Moreover, a global solution must be found for the corporate taxation of new business models in the digitalised economy that promotes economic growth and cross-border trade and investment.

Finally, the EESC recommends that the EU join the Platform for Collaboration on Tax to further engage in global tax debates. (jk)

The European Economic and Social Committee has adopted an own-initiative opinion in which it sets out its recommendations for the EU's Disability Rights Agenda for the next decade. It urges the European Commission to take them on board when drawing up a strategy that is bound to affect the lives of more than one hundred million people with disabilities living in Europe.

The rapporteur for the opinion, Ioannis Vardakastanis, said: "The Disability Rights Agenda for the next decade must be far more ambitious than the strategy currently in place, particularly as regards monitoring and implementation, which must be substantially improved".

With the EU and all Member States having signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the EESC is calling upon the Commission to ensure that the CRPD in its entirety is addressed in the 2020-2030 Disability Agenda.

The new strategy should also contain measures to fully implement the related UN Sustainable Development Goals and the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights - something that has been lacking in the Disability Strategy in force since 2010.

The EESC places considerable emphasis on ensuring that implementation of both the CRPD and the Agenda is monitored at EU level. It recommends that the Commission establish "disability focal points" within all its directorates-general, agencies and EU institutions. A strong focus on disability in the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers to support the new Equality Commissioner is also warranted.

The EESC is calling for the mainstreaming of disability in all EU policies and legislation affecting the lives of people with disabilities. The Agenda should promote a society where diversity is a key value and where the principles of non-discrimination, accessibility, participation and inclusion are fully upheld. (ll)

In an information report adopted at its December plenary session, the EESC stressed the need to support the digital transformation of SMEs with measures adapted to the specific needs of different types of company.

The document analyses the current state of play of digitalisation in northern, southern and eastern Mediterranean countries and highlights specific challenges. One of the main conclusions of the report is the need to establish a "broad policy agenda aimed at strengthening the decisive role of SMEs in the socioeconomic development of the Euro-Mediterranean countries and, most importantly, in the fight against unemployment".

The EESC emphasises how important it is to raise awareness of this issue. One of the proposals put forward in the report is to prioritise investment in digital infrastructure, but also in the educational reforms needed to mainstream digital skills among teachers and students when revising the European Neighbourhood Policy and bilateral association agreements in the future. The EESC also recommends investing in awareness-raising campaigns to inform SMEs about the costs of non-digitalisation: "We have to make SMEs aware that non-digitalisation is not an option", said the rapporteur, María Helena De Felipe. (dgf)

Such was the message to the European institutions from the social economy actors meeting in Strasbourg – European capital of the social economy 2019, for the 4th European Day of Social Economy Enterprises, just as the European Parliament gave the green light to Ursula von der Leyen's new team.

The EESC, in cooperation with the French Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition and the city and Eurometropole area of Strasbourg, held the 4th European Day of Social Economy Enterprises on the theme of The Social Economy: mobilising cities, regions and civil society. Pact for Impact for the European Union.

All speakers emphasised that the social economy may be the only viable alternative to a model of production and consumption that threatens the survival of the planet and exacerbates social inequalities, by putting the values of equality, social justice and sustainable development at the core of the economic model. Faced with globalisation and relocation, it offers a model deeply rooted in our cities and regions.

A joint declaration was adopted, setting out the measures to take the social economy to a higher level in Europe, in particular, a comprehensive, coherent policy initiative with specific measures to:

• Build a suitable financial ecosystem, promoting strategic investment in innovative and sustainable social economy projects throughout their life cycles, and prioritising the social economy in EU financing programmes;
• Make sure that social economy enterprises can take full advantage of the digital transition;
• Raise the profile and boosting recognition of the social economy across Europe;
• Help the public authorities in their work to bring social entrepreneurship into all levels of education;
• Ensure that all public institutions at local, regional national and European level implement socially and ecologically responsible public procurement award procedures.

The declaration has been forwarded to the European Parliament and the European Commission in order to feed into their work from the beginning of their terms. (dm)

The EESC believes that the Environmental Crime Directive must be implemented more effectively in order to ensure the best possible environmental protection in the EU.

The most important reason behind the adoption of the Environmental Crime Directive (ECD) in 2008 was to ensure effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal penalties in all EU countries.

Based on the data collected during its five fact-finding missions, the EESC identified a number of flaws in the ECD implementation that appear to be common to all Member States.

The low conviction rate suggests that environmental crimes are not taken sufficiently seriously. Administrative sanctions are also considered ineffective.

Training for prosecutors and judges has been highlighted as a real and urgent need. The EESC believes it would be useful to have a specialised police force and courts. The lack of a centralised environmental crime unit is also seen as an obstacle for investigating cross-border environmental crimes.

"We lack human and financial resources!", says EESC rapporteur Arnaud Schwartz.

The EESC also maintains that Member States should improve the conditions under which the victims of environmental damage may take collective legal action.

Finally, the EESC recommends that the ECD should be revised, based on:

• the most recent EU treaties that allow the application of sanctions;
• new types of criminal conduct;
• a scale of minimum sanctions for natural and legal persons. (mr)

The coming years will see new prospects and challenges for European products and services, according to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Providing innovative, highly specialised products and services with well-recognised and certified key characteristics can boost European competitiveness, says the EESC.

Unanimously adopted at its plenary session on 11 December, the EESC's own-initiative opinion "Use-value" is back: new prospects and challenges for European products and services  aims to raise awareness of the branding of European products and services that cater to customers' needs, as well as to social and environmental sustainability requirements.

 Addressing the plenary, the rapporteur for the opinion, Dimitris Dimitriadis, said: ''Thirty years ago, 'made in Europe' was a guarantee for a product; now we are behind China, India and the United States; we have lost the European commercial brand name and want to get it back on track''. Mr Dimitriadis mentioned the position of advantage of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the benefits of this.

 Not surprisingly, the latest technological upgrades aim to expand productivity, not only in terms of producing quantities on a mass scale, but more importantly in terms of producing differentiated quality. European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have an advantage here and could benefit most.  

The opinion is part of a series of EESC own-initiative opinions and recommendations focused on rebooting and boosting the European economy through European SMEs in accordance with social and environmental sustainability principles. (ks)