News

  • Europe has the capacity and the technical know-how to repair and maintain vessels and oil and gas rigs. There is a strong business case for Europe to maintain and expand a specialised off–shore recycling industry. Many floating oil and gas structures need to be decommissioned in the coming years. Alongside this, the opportunities for the recycling of merchant ships in EU yards will be augmented. Now it is the Commission that needs....

  • Growing inequality is a problem which can no longer be ignored. It is causing a divide between different social groups and has contributed to the rise of extreme movements and parties. It is a destabilising factor for both the economy and society and we urgently need to tackle this problem – these are among ....

  • On 27 June 2017, the president of the European Economic and Social Committee, Georges Dassis, was hosted at the headquarters of the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) in Paris, as part of a plenary session dedicated specifically to the European Union and its future.

     

  • "The transition to a low-carbon world is taking place everywhere at a pace that was previously unforeseen and unexpected. There are a growing number of concrete initiatives to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and develop business models for the low carbon economies" said Jacek P. Krawczyk, President of the Employers Group at the EESC in his opening speech at the 7th global meeting of the Low-Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative (LCTPi). "The EESC has an important role to play in... 

  • CIVIL SOCIETY DAYS 2017

     

    On 26-27 June, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), joining forces with other civil society organisations and European institutions, hosted the annual Civil Society Days at the EESC's premises.

     

    This major gathering of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from across Europe provided strong civil society input to the reflection on the future of Europe launched by the Commission with its "White Paper on the future of Europe". A forceful call was made for a new political impetus to relaunch the EU on the basis of our fundamental values and also to express a clear commitment by civil society organisations to forge ahead. A number of key demands and civil society commitments were adopted and presented to the EU decision-making institutions to promote a wider civil dialogue and to deepen participatory democracy on four challenging topics: populism, the technological revolution and its impact on work and democracy, the empowerment of civil society organisations, and social and territorial cohesion.

  • Existing legislation has not been capable of fully addressing the impediments that people with disabilities face to find a job, as employers are frequently unaware of the benefits of employing them. This was one of the main messages of the hearing on "Employment of Persons with Disabilities", which took place last week at the EESC in Brussels. In her opening speech, Irena Petraitienė, EESC President of Permanent Study Group on Disability Rights, said: "Member States should initiate dialogue with...

  • "We need to relaunch the European project and give it fresh impetus" – these were the words of Jean Arthuis, French Member of the European Parliament, during the debate on the future of the EU and its institutional framework. The debate took place on 21 June during the extraordinary meeting of the Employers' Group.

  • For the third time, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has participated in the Deutsche Welle (DW) Global Media Forum (GMF). This year's GMF focused on "Identity and Diversity" and took place at the World Conference Center in Bonn from 19 to 21 June. For the first time, the EESC was a strategic partner of DW. EESC members participated in different panels, provided their expertise and brought in civil society's point of view, reaching around 600 journalists and 1500 other participants.

    The EESC was also present with its own stand, where information material was made available while ...

  • "The EESC has long advocated a new common European legal migration policy and an efficient and equitable Common European Asylum System", Georges Dassis emphasised in his speech delivered at the high-level conference on migration management which was organised by the European Parliament earlier today.

    The aim of the conference was to find viable solutions regarding the migration crisis and to meet the expectations of European citizens in this area. Political leaders, specialists and stakeholders discussed the issue of shared responsibility between Member States, the internal security of the European Union, the root causes of migration and how to ensure a stable socio-economic environment and prosperity in third countries.

  • This panel will look at Integration and Diversity from a variety of perspectives: from a political point of view, from the points of view of civil society, migrants and host societies,  from a communication and a cultural point of view. The goal is to discuss how far integration needs to go in order to avoid rifts within a society, and in particular how the different stakeholders – politicians, civil society organisations and the media – can better communicate on this challenging topic.

    Panel info: http://www.dw.com/en/integration-and-diversity/a-38994353