Following up on the own-initiative opinion on “Blue Diplomacy and Water cooperation: solutions to relieve the pressure of climate induced migration” the REX section received from the Commission a request to elaborate an exploratory opinion on "Water diplomacy in action: restoring the global hydrological cycle".
The Cyprus Presidency has asked the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) to draw up an exploratory opinion aimed at analysing how affordable housing initiatives can integrate measures to reduce energy costs for families and support vulnerable households.
The exploratory opinion examines territorial supply constraints as an ongoing obstacle to the effective functioning of the EU Single Market. Taking into account the EESC’s work on Single Market integration and enforcement, the opinion responds to renewed political efforts to remove market fragmentation, with a focus on strengthening enforcement against barriers to cross-border trade.
In response to the successful European Citizens' Initiative, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted an own-initiative opinion calling on the European Commission to introduce a legally binding EU-wide ban on conversion practices by including such practices as 'EU crimes' and recognising them as hate crimes. The EESC strongly condemns any practices aimed at changing, suppressing or erasing a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, considering them incompatible with human dignity and in breach of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. The EESC calls for a comprehensive and precisely defined ban covering both children and adults, all public and private actors, and the advertisement of such practices. It recommends that the prohibition explicitly includes sex characteristics, in order to protect intersex individuals from non-consensual and non-therapeutic interventions.
This initiative aims to simplify EU legislation on medical devices and diagnostics to enhance competitiveness, foster innovation and ensure proportionate, cost-effective safety requirements while maintaining high levels of patient protection and public health.
This initiative seeks to revise EU CO₂ emission standards for new cars and vans to support a fact-based, economically viable and socially fair transition toward zero-emission mobility.
The Commission presents a proposal to enhance the control of drug precursors, the chemical substances that are used by both legitimate industries and in the production of illicit drugs. As Europe’s drug market evolves, the proposal strengthens authorities to respond to emerging drugs and production processes.
This opinion is prepared at the request of the incoming Cypriot Presidency of the EU. The EESC was invited to deliver an opinion on how the EU and its Member States can best:
1. Introduce and promote effective tools, including AI-based solutions, to enhance the quality of employment and working conditions, ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability in their use.
2. Strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining as fundamental mechanisms for shaping fair and inclusive labour markets in a rapidly changing economic and technological context.
Download — Mišljenje stručne skupine EGSO-a: Enhancing quality in employment and working conditions by introducing and promoting related tools (incl. AI) and strengthening social dialogue and collective bargaining
