Europos ekonomikos ir socialinių reikalų komitetas
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) opinion on structured youth engagement on climate and sustainability in the EU decision-making process is gaining momentum. When adopted in September 2020, it proposed, among other recommendations, the establishment of a Youth Climate and Sustainability Round Table, to be hosted by the EESC in conjunction with the European Commission, European Parliament and youth organisations.
An interview with Piroska Kállay, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) from the Workers' Group, representing Medosz, the Trade Union of Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Water Supply Workers in Hungary. She is currently one of the members of the NAT section and her work focuses in particular on environmental protection and the territorial development of rural areas.
On World Sustainable Gastronomy Day, the EESC stresses the importance of setting the sustainability bar high on how the world should aspire to feed itself in the coming decades. It is critical to take into account where ingredients come from, how food is grown and how it gets from farms to our forks, and to carry out the urgent transformations needed to achieve more sustainable food systems. All citizens and stakeholders across all food chains, in the EU and elsewhere, should benefit from a just and inclusive transition, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn.
We need to halt the growing gaps between rural and urban areas and better coordinate policies to bridge them. The new CAP alone will not be sufficient to rebalance these interrelated areas. For Europe to truly tackle inequalities, we need to put in place a wider set of policies and financing instruments.
The EU has some of the strongest regulations in the world on the use of plant protection products (PPPs – pesticides) and other chemicals in agriculture. However, there is still room for improvement to achieve greater regulatory convergence to reduce the risks of using PPPs, and to guarantee a healthy and safe food supply for an ever-growing world population.
The NAT section invited the two winners of the COPA COGECA 2021 Innovation Award for Women Farmers to join its Section meeting of 15 April 2021 to bring practical and innovative ideas in their debates.
An interview with Arnaud Schwartz, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) from the Diversity Europe group, representing France Nature Environnement, the French federation of associations for the protection of nature and the environment. He is currently one of the Vice Presidents of the NAT Bureau and his work focuses in particular on the protection of the environment.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has warned at a high-level web conference that the pandemic has made energy poverty worse and that urgent measures are needed. All institutions at every level must rally around in a coordinated approach, with the active involvement of organised civil society.
Europe and the world have to prepare for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. COVID-19 has made things more difficult, but it has also created an unprecedented opportunity: to use the EU recovery funds to revitalise the economy and at the same time ensure that the EU becomes climate-resilient and fully adapted, while achieving climate-neutrality.
On 22nd of April we celebrate the Earth Day to empower and expand the environmental movement. This year's emphasis is on supporting local communities, focusing on areas that are disproportionately affected by environmental issues.
