The Territorial Agenda (TA) 2030 is an inter-governmental declaration with no direct legal, financial or institutional implementation instrument. The application of the Territorial Agenda 2030 relies on informal multilevel cooperation between Member States, sub-national authorities, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Investment Bank and other relevant players.
The TA 2030 envisages a stocktaking in 2024 including a review of the governance system and implementation progress. This review has slowly started during the Spanish EU Presidency in 2023 and continues with the Belgian Presidency. As the focus is expected to be on governance and implementation, civil society organisations and the EESC have to play a more active role in the governance of the TA 2030 and contribute to the priorities that have been set.
Section debate on A step forward in meaningful youth participation organised by the EESC during the NAT Section meeting on 2 October 2024 (14:30 - 16:00 CEST).
Three organisations are awarded the 15th EESC Civil Society Prize
Location
Brussels
Belgium
The EESC is pleased to announce the three winners of the 15th edition of the Civil Society Prize, which rewards effective, innovative and creative initiatives carried out on the territory of the EU to combat harmful polarisation of European society.
Strengthening the European Semester to support reforms and investment in Member States in order to enhance competitive sustainability and growth
Location
Online event
Brussels
Belgium
With the revision of the EU economic governance framework, which is built around the European Semester, the latter has also been adapted and strengthened in its coordination of the economic, budgetary, employment and social policies of the Member States. From 2024, national medium-term fiscal structural plans will replace the former national reform programmes and stability/convergence programmes. These plans, which have to be submitted by 20 September, should detail the reforms and investment that countries intend to adopt in order to strengthen sustainable growth, and should address the main challenges (digital, green and social) identified in the context of the European Semester (and in particular the country-specific recommendations (CSRs). The EESC sees a number of opportunities in this review and calls in particular for greater transparency in the Semester, for appropriate involvement of organised civil society and for proper monitoring of the implementation of medium-term fiscal structural plans.
On 24 September, the CCMI will adopt an own-initiative opinion on "Industry 5.0: how to make it happen". On that occasion, a debate will take place with the participation of the European Commission (DG RTD) as well relevant stakeholders representing academia, businesses and trade unions. As part of the EESC pilot to involve Enlargement Candidate Members (ECM) in the preparation of opinions, the debate will count with representatives from the Turkish organised civil society.
The European Commission organised the third Civil Society Forum of the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) on 20 September 2024, at EESC premises, in Brussels.
Participation was open to civil society organisations representing employers' organisations, workers' representatives, NGOs and academics.
The agenda for this third meeting of the CSF included trade in goods, level playing field, regulatory cooperation, trade in services & energy.
The Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs), set up under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to advise on the implementation of the agreement, held their third meeting on 19 September 2024, in Brussels.
The EU DAG set up under the EU-UK TCA met ahead of the DAG-to-DAG meeting and the Civil Society Forum in preparation for these joint events. Exchanges focused on finalising the joint statement exercise and some anticipation on the discussions and opportunities that CSF would bring.
