On 15 December, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will award its 2022 Civil Society Prize to six organisations, from Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain.
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The European Economic and Social committee held a public hearing on the European Packaging sector on 9 December 2022. The hearing was organised in cooperation with the Czech Chamber of Commerce and under the auspices of the Czech Presidency of the Council 2022.
With the following guests : Nicolas Schmit, EU Commissioner, Álvaro Albacete Perea (Union for the Mediterranean, Josep Ferré (Anna Lindh Foundation), Ivailo Kalfin (Eurofound), Kinga Stanislawska (European Women in Venture Capital) and Xenia Kazoli (Hellenic corp. governance council).
Civil Society Prize award ceremony on Thursday 15 Dec at 10 am
Europe's care sector will be barely capable of responding to the growing care demands of its ageing population. It is in dire need of major investments and a shift in policy-making, which should ensure that care workers are properly paid, have regulated working hours and receive adequate support. To achieve this, EU action will not be enough, and political will at national level will be crucial, an EESC hearing said.
In the context of the climate emergency, energy crisis and high inflation, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) have signed a new environmental commitment with concrete actions to reduce energy consumption, waste, pollution and to improve the overall environmental footprint of all their activities.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on Gender Equality and Women's and Girls' empowerment in the context of Food Security and Nutrition. In light of the climate crisis, and in the context of the recent COP27, the EESC has identified the intersection between gender and climate change as a top priority for the EU. The debate is an important contribution to the ongoing EESC initiative on gender equality.
The EESC held a conference on the future of European strategic autonomy. The event was organised jointly by three Committee bodies; the Digital Transition and Single Market Observatory, the Labour Market Observatory and the Sustainable Development Observatory. Policy-makers, experts from organised civil society and academia, as well as youth representatives, gathered to discuss how to overcome current and future obstacles to a self-sufficient EU in times of great geopolitical tensions and multiple crises.
The EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held its 14th meeting on 29 November 2022 in Belgrade, to discuss the state of play in the accession process and reform policies in the country. The participants from Serbia and the EU Institutions, as well as from civil society organisations pointed out concerns and challenges that still need further improvement. The joint declaration of the EU-Serbia JCC was adopted unanimously.
After nine months of war in Ukraine, the EU institutions and the Member States are still striving to overcome the challenges of the migration crisis caused by Ukrainians fleeing the war on a massive scale. Civil society organisations (CSOs), NGOs and national stakeholders are also seeking practices to ensure the protection and integration of Ukrainian refugees, paying special attention to children and people with disabilities, with winter and war fatigue making these efforts harder.
Due to economic, physiological and socio-cultural reasons, women may end up falling into energy poverty more easily than men. In light of recent alarming statistics, the thematic debate organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) urged the EU to adopt policies where gender is considered as a specific factor.