At its January plenary session, the EESC adopted an information report on the Implementation of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, including the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland. The report shows that UK organised civil society is strongly in favour of a deeper and more constructive relationship with their EU counterparts and the EU as a whole. This could contribute to the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and help maximise the potential of the EU-UK Trade Cooperation Agreement.
At its January plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted an opinion welcoming the EU's new approach to Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) as laid out in the recent Communication on "The power of trade partnerships". The EESC supports the Commission’s comprehensive review setting a new benchmark on TSD and considers the introduced elements as part of the package in all trade agreements – be it future ones, those under negotiation or applied to existing agreements as much as possible. However, the new TSD plan is not exempt from shortcomings, and the EESC regrets that no action is being taken to involve civil society more thoroughly during the negotiation process.
At its January plenary session, the EESC debated the EU's "Strategic Compass" vision for security and defence, pointing out that security should be understood broadly, far beyond military defence. Civilian and preventive security policy should complement military defence capabilities, with NATO being the EU's key security provider. Civil society should not be a bystander in security issues. In fact, as proven in the current war in Ukraine, it can have a stabilising role in times of crisis.
The European Commission's proposal for a comprehensive European care strategy that should guarantee to all Europeans the possibility of receiving high quality healthcare and care service throughout their lifetime has been met with approval by the EESC
Il Comitato economico e sociale europeo (CESE) sostiene una nuova e rafforzata governance degli oceani, chiedendo una maggiore cooperazione internazionale, la salvaguardia del benessere dell'ambiente marino e la protezione degli stock ittici dalla pesca eccessiva, data la loro importanza vitale per le comunità locali.
In un parere adottato nella sessione plenaria di gennaio il Comitato economico e sociale europeo (CESE) afferma che nessuno dovrebbe essere lasciato indietro e che è essenziale rafforzare il coordinamento tra le politiche di bilancio degli Stati membri e la politica monetaria della Banca centrale europea.
Per prevenire il lavoro forzato, il Comitato economico e sociale europeo (CESE) sottolinea l'importanza della cooperazione internazionale e dell'ancoraggio istituzionale della società civile organizzata nella nuova proposta della Commissione, e raccomanda orientamenti per assistere le imprese, una banca dati specifica con indicatori di rischio e un sistema di analisi comparativa.
The technical limit value for asbestos exposure should ultimately be set at a lower level than the Commission is currently proposing in a recent Directive regulating the protection of workers from dangers of occupational asbestos exposure, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) said in an opinion adopted at its plenary session in December.
A new social contract for Latin America is needed, ensuring political accountability, inclusion, social protection and quality employment, said the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in its own-initiative opinion on the socio-economic situation in Latin America, following the pandemic. Freely and democratically organised civil societies are the best starting point.
