Events

  • This meeting was an excellent opportunity for a timely update by DG Trade on the implementation of the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapter under the FTA, as well as for a constructive exchange with the Director of the ILO office in Hanoi on the labour situation in Vietnam and the state of play of the roadmap.

    Additionally, Ambassador Vu Anh Quang, from the Vietnamese Mission to the EU, participated in an exchange with the EU Domestic Advisory Group (EU DAG) members to share his views on ongoing topics within the context of the EU Vietnam relations.

    The members of the EU DAG, which is composed of representatives of employers' organisations, trade unions and various interest groups, also further discussed its work programme and prepared the upcoming joint meetings with its Vietnamese civil society counterparts.

    On 28 May, nevertheless, after this EU DAG meeting and following the postponement of the joint EU-Vietnam meetings due to the fact that the Vietnam DAG had not been established yet, the members of the EU DAG issued a statement on the late cancellation of the first Trade and Sustainable Development Committee and the first Joint forum between European and Vietnamese civil society, which had been planned to take place in the first week of June 2021.

    Read the full statement here: https://europa.eu/!wm77KY

  • On 19 May, the IMI Group holds a virtual conference to take stock of the situation eight months after the presentation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and exchange views on how to build a meaningful and functioning Pact.

    Featuring speakers form the EESC and other EU institutions, international and European organisations, social partners and civil society organisations, the event will explore how to overcome the current deadlock and create convergence to turn the Pact into a tool that could deliver the systemic change needed to achieve a sound common migration and asylum policy in the EU.

  • As in previous years, the Bureau of the European Migration Forum has decided to organise a consultation with civil society on the topic of the next Forum. This consultation consists of a written questionnaire and a virtual meeting on 19 May.

  • Turning the Covid pandemic into a powerful lesson for the future

    The integrity of the Single Market came under heavy pressure during the pandemic. The vast restrictions that Member States imposed at their borders lead to a patchwork of rules, the disruption of value chains and ultimately added to the severe challenges businesses were facing in the COVID19 pandemic. Now that the vaccination rollout is picking up speed, it is time to take a step back to evaluate how the crisis impacted the Single Market and how it can be a powerful resource for a stable economic recovery. The need for a coordinated EU approach will be discussed as well as the impact initiatives, such as the Digital Green Certificate, can have on the economic recovery.

  • This meeting was an excellent opportunity for a DG Trade timely update on the implementation of the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapter under the FTA, reinforcing the EU DAG commitment to support it.

     

  • The European Commission (EC) has pledged to make the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) the compass of Europe’s recovery and the EU's best tool to ensure Europe’s future is socially just and no one is left behind.

  • Europe Day on 9 May commemorates the date of the Schuman Declaration, which was the starting point for today’s European Union. It is a chance to reflect on what solidarity has built and what we hope to achieve in the future.
    It is also a chance to make EU citizens feel even more strongly that they are part of something bigger, as expressed in the Europe Day interinstitutional theme of "togetherness".

  • The Commission proposed in March 2021 new pay transparency measures, such as pay information for job seekers, a right to know the pay levels for workers doing the same work, as well as gender pay gap reporting obligations for big companies. The proposal aims to strengthen the tools for workers to claim their rights and facilitate access to justice. Employers will not be allowed to ask job seekers for their pay history and they will have to provide pay related anonymised data upon employee request. Employees will also have the right to compensation for discrimination in pay.

  • Workers' Group Extraordinary Meeting

    The Conference on the Future of Europe offers a unique opportunity to improve the Union's ability to deal with these issues, not least by involving social partners and EU citizens who can offer concrete insights into their actual needs and expectations.

  • The 15th meeting of the EU Advisory Group for the EU-Colombia, Peru and Ecuador Free Trade Agreement is held on 29 April 2021 via video-conference.