The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
The EESC welcomes the fact that the Recovery and Resilience Facility regulation confirms the importance of genuine civil society involvement in the development of national plans and advocates for the establishment of binding conditionality for such consultation. To support economic development the EESC considers the full operation of the Single Market as well as fiscal policies and support measures crucial, while calling for the establishment of new fiscal rules that reflect social and economic realities after the pandemic. New instruments to combat tax evasion, undeclared work and the shadow economy are also called for. The EESC also welcomes the inclusion of the green and digital transitions, but regrets the insufficient attention paid to social issues. Efforts to move rapidly towards a green and digital economy must not result in a further increase in poverty and greater social exclusion.
The EESC considers that the European Union must overcome the COVID-19 crisis by building a new model for society, one which will make our economies more green, just and resistant to future shocks. European recovery funds must enable businesses, innovators, workers and investors to affirm their role as world leaders in the expanding clean energy markets.
The European Economic and social Committee (EESC) supports the Commission's intention as set out in its Communication: integration of the electricity system with the heat and transport system is vital to reach the goals of climate neutrality, security of energy supply, including reduction of energy imports, and the goal of affordable prices for Europe's consumers and the European economy.
EESC opinion: EU Strategy for Energy System Integration
The forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU (Germany), aims to further discuss and analyze the policy objective 1 under the Common Provisions Regulation for cohesion policy that refers to '' a smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation''. In this context, the Presidency has asked the EESC to provide an opinion on how the structural measures and cohesion policy programmes can help in this process. The Presidency plans to present the key findings of this discussion in a High-level conference that will take place on 29th of September where also the opinion of EESC will be discussed.
EESC opinion: The role of EU structural and cohesion policy in driving forward the transformation of the economy in an innovative and smart manner (Exploratory opinion at the request of the German presidency)