The EESC emphasises that peace must remain a core EU priority and cautions against focusing solely on military threats while overlooking other serious risks to human life. It stresses the importance of diplomacy for conflict resolution and crisis prevention wherever possible.The EESC supports a comprehensive, inclusive European defence strategy that supplements military readiness with civil preparedness. It endorses the European Commission’s Joint white Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 and calls for a coordinated EU approach that treats defence, peace and security as shared public goods, underpinned by strong legal, institutional and financial frameworks with democratic oversight.
Download — EESK atzinums: Defence-related investments in the EU budget
Download — Information report: Social media and AI algorithms: ensuring the right to accurate information and the visibility of high-quality content across Europe, especially about Eastern and Central Europe
The EESC stresses that the success of the Union of skills depends on effective and cooperative governance, adequate financing, and inclusive representation of social partners, national authorities and other stakeholders, including civil society organisations, teachers and learners. This opinion points at the importance of tailored support for SMEs and for women and disadvantaged individuals. It calls for improving the quality, inclusiveness, attractiveness, effectiveness and accessibility of vocational education and training and adult learning, and to make Europe more attractive to global talent. It asks that recommendations on education and skills be fully integrated into the European Semester process.
In this opinion, the EESC presents its recommendations on the proposed EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. It explores the initiatives that social partners and civil society could undertake to better adapt policy frameworks for combating poverty, and how they can effectively address its root causes to decisively reduce poverty levels and ensure a sustained downward trend.
Download — EESK atzinums: EU Anti-poverty Strategy
