In this opinion, the EESC presents its view on the impact of new technologies and AI both in terms of facilitating the inclusion of people with disabilities but also as potential cause of discrimination. Among its recommendations:
Persons with disabilities should be included throughout the process of designing, developing, assessing and implementing new technologies and AI-based applications. This involvement is key to mitigating potential discriminatory risks.
Member States and the EU should carry out an evaluation of existing AI applications to assess their inclusivity in critical fields, including employment and recruitment.
Goods and services that apply new technologies and AI‑based solutions should comply with EU accessibility standards.
Download — EESRK nuomonė: Including persons with disabilities in the development of new technologies and AI – possibilities, challenges, risks and opportunities
In this opinion, the EESC highlights the need for adequate social protection for the self-employed, in line with international and European standards. It calls for further reforms to create inclusive social security systems for workers and the self-employed, especially in the context of platform work. The Committee also supports continued monitoring of the 2019 Council Recommendation on access to social protection within the European Semester and the sharing of best practices among Member States, aiming to ensure that the self-employed receive protection equal to that of workers while respecting national and EU competences in this field.
Download — EESRK nuomonė: Amendment of the Common Markets Organisation (CMO) Regulation on rules on contracts, producer organisations and cooperation between farmers
This proposal aims to postpone the application of certain reporting requirements under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the transposition deadline and application of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The objective is to simplify the reporting framework, reduce administrative burdens, and ensure a more proportionate approach to sustainability reporting and due diligence obligations.
Download — EESRK nuomonė: Application and reporting deadlines/CSRD and CSDDD
Download — EESRK nuomonė: Working time, the efficiency of the economy, and the well-being of workers (including in the context of digital change and work automation): a legal and comparative analysis of the situation in the EU Member States
The opinion focuses on the importance of a human-centric approach in addressing occupational safety and health (OSH) challenges in an increasingly digitalised work environment. It stresses that new technologies can both enhance and introduce workplace hazards, necessitating a proactive regulatory framework. The opinion underlines the need for OSH training, particularly when AI-driven systems and digital tools are introduced, ensuring that workers have the necessary skills to navigate evolving work environments safely. It calls for transparent AI deployment to prevent bias and discrimination and encourages social partners to actively engage in shaping AI regulation through collective agreements. Furthermore, the opinion demands that the European Commission provide resources for social partners, enabling them to address digitalisation challenges effectively while maintaining social cohesion and worker rights in a rapidly changing labour market.
In this Opinion, the EESC welcomes the EU's focus on civil preparedness and stresses the need for a culture of resilience across all levels of society. It highlights civil society's specific role in crisis response and stresses that preparedness initiatives must aim to a just and sustainable peace, addressing the root causes of conflict and fostering equality and social progress. The EESC calls for full integration of civil society into preparedness efforts, increased investment in its capacities, clear role definitions, stronger democratic safeguards, and easier cross-border cooperation.
Download — EESRK nuomonė: Action Plan for enhancing cooperation between civil society organisations in the European Union and Kazakhstan, in the framework of the implementation of the New Strategy on Central Asia and of the Global Gateway
Download — Evaluation of Directive (EU) 2019/633 of 17 April 2019 on unfair trading practices in B2B relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain (Incl. Mapping of national UTP legislation)
This ex-post evaluation includes the EESC’s contribution to the ex-post evaluation carried out by the European Commission on the implementation of the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) 2014-2020. The EESC has specially focused on asylum procedures, reception systems and labour market integration of third country nationals.
The evaluation focuses on collecting and analysing the views of organisations representing social partners, organized civil society, international institutions, public authorities at national, regional and local levels and academic institutions on how the AMIF has been implemented in selected EU Member States. The five countries selected were Greece, Italy, Belgium, France, and Sweden, so as to cover countries of first arrival, transit and destination.
Download — EESRK nuomonė: Ensuring sustainable food production and a fair income for European farmers in the face of market, environmental and climate challenges
Cohesion policy in its current form has had positive impact on the socio-economic development of the EU, individual countries and regions. However, the Polish presidency points out that there is a need to improve the effectiveness of the mechanisms supporting the transformational objectives of cohesion policy. In the discussion of its future, there are ideas aimed at reforming the implementation mechanisms with the approach used in the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) implemented since 2021 as a response to the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and to support the transformation processes of economies.
The EU’s ambitious climate targets are driving up costs for industries, but they also encourage innovation and create value, necessitating a careful balance between development and maintaining competitiveness. The EESC opinion aims to assess how these challenges will impact European industry and propose solutions to ensure competitiveness amid rising energy costs and the green transition.
This opinion will focus on possible solutions to rethink EU sustainable model for tourism, a sector of strategic importance in the EU but suffering from staff shortages in may countries.
The EESC welcomes the proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation (DAC9) and points out that legal certainty and clarity for multinational corporations and tax administrations can only be ensured by creating a single set of uniform rules applicable to all Member States. The Committee deems it crucial that information collected under DAC9 be used only and exclusively as intended by the Commission proposal and not for other purposes.
