Eiropas Ekonomikas un sociālo lietu komiteja
Tackling climate and environmentally related challenges has become a top EU priority. From climate change to climate emergency, the EU needs to make substantial changes to foster a wellbeing economy and a future that is sustainable, cleaner, safer and healthier.
In the context of this year's World Population Day, Isabel Caño Aguilar, Vice-President in charge of Communication (EESC) writes an open letter on Gender Equality.
World Population Day will take place on Saturday 11 July, and this year's theme will be the unmet goals of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development – where governments recognised that reproductive health and gender equality were essential for achieving sustainable development.
The Council adopted a set of conclusions on the implementation by the EU of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on 10 December and explicitly acknowledged the critical role played by civil society in implementing and achieving the SDGs.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires more than political commitment, says the European Economic and Social Committee. Increased investment, especially by the private sector, is needed to address current economic, social and environmental challenges. The Committee therefore advises the EU and its Member States to adjust their investment and tax policies to enhance growth prospects, and thereby private sector contributions, to accomplishing the SDGs.
EESC debate takes stock and discusses steps to take
Sustainability is of critical importance for business and employers, who play a crucial role as generators of development. A sound and solid economy is the necessary enabler of sustainable development. We need to seek solutions beneficial in three aspects: economic, social and environmental. While various stakeholders have much in common in their perceptions of sustainability, they often differ on how to get there. These are some of the conclusions of the discussion on "How business can promote sustainability" that took place on 21 November 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) believes that tackling the social question is absolutely crucial to achieve the United Nations 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development in the EU. The implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires merging the social with the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, bringing about a systemic change and overcoming the silo thinking prevalent in current EU strategies. The "new deal" announced by the Commission President-elect should therefore be a Green and Social Deal ensuring that no one is left behind in the transition to a sustainable and carbon-neutral Europe.
The EESC draws forward-looking conclusions from the 2019 Semester and the Committee's civil society consultations in the Member States
