Civil society must be continuously involved in the EU strategy to reduce greenhouse gases, aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) points out that the transition to a decarbonised Europe should take place in a socially fair and efficient manner, where all actors join forces and give their contribution, emphasising that action for beyond 2030 is urgently needed.
Good occupational safety and health (OSH) practices help to prevent absenteeism, injuries and work-related illnesses. At the same time, investing in OSH can make SMEs more successful and sustainable, provided that they receive adequate support for the implementation of such policies. This was one of the main messages of a hearing recently held in Brussels by the Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the costs and benefits of investments in OSH.
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Luca Jahier will visit Belfast and Bangor on 25-26 June to discuss the future of Northern Ireland beyond Brexit. Mr Jahier is the only President of an EU institution to visit Northern Ireland since the 2016 referendum on UK withdrawal from the EU.
It proposes additional measures on communication, connectivity and civil society involvement.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) stresses that everyone must be entitled to access essential services such as water, energy and transport, pointing out that they are vital for social justice.
The European Economic and Social Committee has called on EU leaders in a recently adopted opinion to step up efforts to strengthen the international role of the euro, on the eve of the Euro Summit taking place on Friday, 21 June in Brussels. It underlines that this would be desirable, but also necessary, as a strong euro would contribute to the wellbeing of EU citizens and businesses, uphold common values and promote common interests.
In June, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a hearing focusing on combating discrimination in the employment and recruitment of Roma, which revealed that the current strategies for fostering their inclusion in the labour market were largely failing.
The European Semester should be based on the principles of partnership and multilevel governance modelled on the partnership agreements existing in cohesion policy, as this bottom-up approach will contribute to more clarity, legitimacy and ownership at implementing level. This was one of the main messages of a hearing held by the European Economic and Social Committee on 11 June.
On 13 and 14 June 2019, the EESC, together with the Consiglio Nazionale dell'Economia e del Lavoro (CNEL) organised the yearly “Annual meeting of the Presidents and Secretaries-General of the Economic and Social Councils of the EU and the EESC” in Rome. The topic of this year's conference was “The ESCs role in sustainable development and the implementation of the Social Pillar”.
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) speaking before Europe's Social and Economic Councils in Rome on 13 June called on the new European Parliament and the future Commission to exert a firm and decisive political leadership to enable Europe to become world champion of sustainable development.
