urges the European Commission to adopt comprehensive action plans on all forms of disability, similar to those for youth and gender equality;
recommends closer cooperation with disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) in both international cooperation and EU humanitarian work, to enhance the effectiveness of disability diplomacy;
suggests that every diplomatic delegation involved in disability-related agreements should include at least one DPO representative at UN meetings. The aim is to formally designate disability focal points in each diplomatic delegation.
highlights the essential role of social partners and civil society in supporting candidate countries’ adherence to universal values;
stresses that transparent, professional and accountable public services build trust in institutions;
emphasises investing in education and teacher training to foster democratic values and civic participation;
recommends institutionalised cooperation between public authorities and civil society in accession preparations and that EU bodies and institutions involve candidate countries in their work, following the good practice initiated by the EESC.
supports standardising the designation of safe countries, which is currently inconsistent and lacks transparency across Member States. It stresses the need for effective supranational oversight to ensure fairness and consistency;
suggests that a country should only be designated as “safe” if there are no verified human rights violations that would require international protection;
argues that accelerated procedures can lead to superficial assessments, wrongful refusals, and an increase in undocumented migrants, with negative social consequences;
recommends that every asylum application should be assessed thoroughly and individually, with adequate time and resources.
welcomes the strategy, but stresses that water, as a finite public good, must be recognised as a strategic priority at EU level, with stronger governance, dedicated funding in the next EU multiannual budget, and systematic integration into all EU policies;
recommends the application of a ‘water test’ in new or revised EU legislation to ensure that these are line with the objectives of the European Water Resilience Strategy; and
calls for ambitious and swift measures to boost water efficiency and reduce leakage, alongside major investments in infrastructure, innovation, digitalisation and skills, as well as nature-based solutions to build a resilient and circular water economy.
calls on EU institutions and Member States to integrate cooperative business education into entrepreneurship and vocational training, while promoting cooperative opportunities through programmes such as Erasmus+ and raising awareness among financial institutions and industry associations;
urges the creation of targeted incentives, such as tax breaks, grants and low-interest financing, to support industrial cooperatives in adopting circular practices, investing in shared industrial parks and eco-industrial zones, and developing knowledge-sharing platforms; and
stresses that the cooperative model delivers unique added value for Europe’s competitiveness by safeguarding jobs, fostering innovation, ensuring equitable wealth distribution and strengthening regional resilience, and should therefore be fully recognised in EU cohesion, industrial and transition policies.
stresses the central role of enforcement in reducing the fragmentation of the Single Market and calls on the Commission to implement a clear and coordinated approach between preventive, collaborative and remedial tools. It also stresses the primary obligation of Member States to implement EU law in due time and correctly;
considers that the adequate implementation of EU law should be integrated into all steps of the legislative process, and legislation should include clauses dedicated to enforcement. Gold-plating, i.e. adding to EU legislation supplementary national requirements, should be avoided. The EESC asks for active engagement from the co-legislators in this regard, as well as the Member States;
asks the Commission to update the Communication on enforcement of EU law to strengthen and simplify the enforcement tools and accelerate the handling of infringement procedures, while increasing their transparency.
stresses the need to provide for oversight mechanisms regarding the application at national level of the proposed adaptations to the regulatory framework;
recommends that general transfer licences be prioritised and used systematically for all projects financed or coordinated at EU level, and that this system be extended and harmonised across the national systems;
recommends that the possibility for Member States to authorise national exemptions for chemical substances ‘in the interests of defence’ be subject to appropriate environmental verification and compatibility procedures.
underlines the need for additional efforts to promote entrepreneurship and business development more broadly, including the incorporation of a scaling-up perspective in all business-related policy and regulatory initiatives;
stresses the importance of the better regulation principle, guided by thorough impact assessments that cover entire value chains and all stages of the legislative process; it calls for proper implementation and follow-up of an innovation stress test and a competitiveness check;
calls for a thorough review to identify and remove both legislative and non-legislative obstacles that hinder entrepreneurs from seizing a second chance after business failure.
welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to simplify legislation and reduce specific administrative burdens but, at the same time, it also expresses concerns regarding the consultation process, the limited debate on the proposed changes and the lack of impact assessments;
invites the Commission to comprehensively map the EU business landscape by company size and according to specific Member States’ characteristics with the aim to ensuring more appropriate thresholds and scope of the Small Mid-Caps (SMC) category;
encourages the Commission to present further targeted GDPR simplification measures, having many companies still facing disproportionate compliance requirements such as extensive record-keeping.
underlines that AI should remain a complementary tool rather than a substitute, with ultimate decision-making in sensitive areas such as health, law, or taxation staying under human control to safeguard professional autonomy and accountability;
stresses that technology can ease administrative burdens and routine tasks, enabling professionals to focus on higher-value, human-centric services, which improves efficiency and the quality of services delivered to citizens and enterprises;
insists that ethical and professional standards must apply to the use of AI, ensuring transparency in AI-driven decisions, avoiding bias and discrimination, and respecting privacy, data protection, and intellectual property rights.
