The EESC´s TEN Section, in cooperation with Austrian Federal Railways, is organising a high-level conference on Clean Mobility that will be held in Vienna during the Austrian Presidency on 15 (pm) and 16 November (am) 2018.

The objective of the conference is to stimulate an open dialogue between civil society organisations, experts, and senior-level representatives of EU institutions about the progress made, and to identify current and future challenges in European transport policy.

While the environmental benefits of the transition to low-carbon energy supply systems have been widely discussed, economic effects have only been touched upon in a piecemeal fashion, e.g. through employment in the renewable energy sector, the increasing cost competitiveness of energy from renewable sources, or the rise of energy poverty. In particular, it remains unclear how the economies of Europe's diverse regions are affected by the shift to decentralised, low-carbon energy supply. As recent political initiatives in relation to coal regions and islands however show, Europe's energy transition has a distinctively regional dimension. The EESC is currently working on an own-initiative opinion on "The effects of a new carbon-free, decentralised and digitalized energy supply structure on jobs and regional economies". In this opinion, it seeks to take stock of existing economic analyses on the regional effects and develop an assessment framework.

In November 2017, the European Commission released its third report on the State of the Energy Union. The Commission’s overall assessment of progress towards achieving the goals of the Energy Union is positive but it recognises that much still needs to be done. In particular, it promises 2018 to be a Year of Engagement, ensuring that citizens and civil society are mobilised and take full ownership of Europe’s energy transition. The EESC has previously highlighted a number of challenges in realising the Commission's vision of putting the citizen at the heart of the Energy Union and the progress made in this respect.

This public hearing therefore pursues two overarching goals, namely to hear how civil society organisations and experts assess the State of the Energy Union and to explore opportunities to improve economic and political ownership of the Energy Union by citizens and civil society.

On 27 November 2017, EESC President Georges Dassis and Commissioner Violeta Bulc will officially launch the EU Platform for Change aimed at increasing female employment and equal opportunities in the transport sector. The Platform, as developed by the European Economic and Social Committee in cooperation with the European Commission, will enable stakeholders from all transport sectors to highlight their specific initiatives in favour of gender equality and to exchange good practices.

The launch conference will comprise a session where participants will be able to have a better understanding of the functioning of the Platform, while reflecting on key topics such as the setting-up of targets for female employment, the opportunities brought about by innovation, effective initiatives to fight gender-based violence in the workplace and the feasibility of more flexible shifts to increase work-life balance.