Coiste Eacnamaíoch agus Sóisialta na hEorpa
Drastically improving the energy efficiency of Europe's buildings, increasing the use of renewables and educating consumers on energy savings are among the main prerequisites for reducing the number of energy poor in the EU in the long term.
On 25 May, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a hearing on the subject of "Improving equality in the EU" in preparation for an EESC opinion. It discussed intersectionality, discrimination and hierarchy of grounds, while emphasizing the importance of easier access to justice.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has urged the EU institutions to adopt zero tolerance towards Member State attitudes and practices that hamper the work of civil society and shrink its space in Europe.
With the threat of war at its doorstep, the Schengen area should be further strengthened through better police and judicial cooperation, with its internal borders kept open
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) strongly supports the European Commission in its initiative to extend the list of EU crimes to all forms of hate crime and hate speech in an opinion adopted in its May plenary, and encourages the Council take on this important proposal.
Responding to the state-sponsored instrumentalisation of migrants at the EU's external borders, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a conference on this topic, highlighting the momentum of the Europeanisation of migration policy. So far, authoritarian leaders have instrumentalised humanitarian suffering to blackmail Europe, as they are aware of the gap on migration policy on the continent. Nowadays, the geopolitical atmosphere calls for a common, holistic and cohesive migration policy that cannot be further delayed.
A steep rise in child and forced labour as well as continued exploitation of workers across the globe make EU action on decent work ever more urgent, according to an EESC hearing.
From the shadow pandemic
of domestic violence during COVID-19 lockdowns to cyber stalking, violence against women and girls is endemic in society. To be truly holistic, the European Commission's proposal to address the issue across the EU must have a stronger human-rights focus, adopt a gender-sensitive approach and include women in vulnerable situations more effectively.
An EESC hearing points to the need to increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities, especially young people. Despite legal efforts, data shows that many of them are still facing discrimination in the world of work due to stereotypes portraying them as unproductive.
Often a source of labour exploitation, the employment of illegally staying migrants is also a pull factor for migrant smuggling which claims thousands of lives every year of people embarking on dangerous journeys to reach Europe. Both criminal practices should be met with resolute action at national and EU level
