Strategic foresight is increasingly being embedded into EU policy making. It involves exploring different possible future scenarios and considering the opportunities and challenges connected to them, to contribute to policy action that shapes the future in a way we would like.
The conference will focus on the economic aspects of strategic foresight, and how strategic foresight influences considerations and policy making in public authorities in the EU, and how economic and social actors use foresight in their organisations.
In the framework of the elaboration of its own-initiative opinion on "Advertising for modern, responsible consumption", the EESC organized a hearing which aimed at gathering the point of view of different actors. The conclusions of the hearing will then be integrated into the opinion.
The EESC and the European Rural Parliament (“the voice of rural people in Europe”) are organising this public hearing to explore ways to achieve sustainability and prosperity through new ways of cooperation between rural and urban areas.
Following the publication of the European Commission's Update to the New Industrial Strategy, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will be carrying out a series of activities to fulfil its role of representing the views of organised civil society. A key event in this process will be a conference held on 17 June 2021, from 2.30 to 6 p.m., on Updated industrial strategy: towards a more resilient and strategically autonomous EU industry?
The European Economic and Social Committee is currently preparing an own initiative opinion on Glass in Europe at a crossroads: delivering a greener, energy-efficient industry, while enhancing competitiveness and maintaining quality jobs. Within the EESC, the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change is responsible for the preparation of the opinion. In order to gain insights by experts from relevant sectors of civil society, the Rapporteur (Laurentiu Plosceanu), Corapporteur (Gerald Kreuzer) and President (Kestutis Kupsys) of the Study Group that is drafting the opinion have decided to organize a hearing with civil society representatives.
Digitalisation transforms societies and economies, affecting the way we live, work and relate to one another. Digital services increasingly weave into Europe’s economy and are shaping Europe's digital future and this trend has been further accelerated with the COVID-10 crisis.
As a result, digitalisation is high on the EU policy agenda. The European Commission has been particularly active in launching different initiatives to foster Europe's key political objective of digital sovereignty through ensuring a safe, fair, open and accountable online environment for its citizens and unleashing the potential of its Digital Single Market.
The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act are two flagship initiatives of Europe's answer on how digital services should be provided and, more generally, on helping European societies take full advantage of the "new Economy".
However, progress in digitalisation still remains uneven across the EU. Many rural and remoter communities are actively seeking new opportunities in digital services to drive economic growth, but face difficulties due to inadequate infrastructure and skills.
The Conference co-organized by the Employers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee and the Portuguese Presidency is extremely topical: It aims to contribute to the debate on how to make DMA and DSA "fit for purpose" and, thus, feed into the legislative process currently underway by the European Parliament and the EU Member States.
At the same time, it will open a wider debate on the EU initiatives which are still needed to help defuse the potential of digital services for European businesses and citizens making them genuine leverages of sustainable development throughout our continent.
AI in tackling Covid-19 crisis: opportunities and challenges & European Digital Innovation Hubs: boosting adoption of digital technologies in EU businesses
Location
JDE 63
Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99 – 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel
Brussels
Belgium
AI in tackling Covid-19 crisis: opportunities and challenges & European Digital Innovation Hubs: boosting adoption of digital technologies in EU businesses
This online public hearing will discuss how to transform the targets proposed in the Action Plan for the development of EU organic production into on-the-ground strategies related to organic production and consumption.
A grand civil society kick-off event will take place on 10 June from 14:30 to 18:30. The event, named "Conference on the Future of Europe - Bringing the European project back to citizens", will officially launch the activities of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in the framework of the Conference.
561st plenary session of the EESC, with the following guests: F. Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission and D. Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice and a debate on the Resolution on the EESC's contribution to the European Commission's 2022 work programme.
