This exploratory opinion was requested by the European Parliament with a view to a forthcoming Commission initiative on fair minimum wages. The question of Decent minimum wages across Europe is a complex and sensitive issue. It is important that any EU action is based on accurate analysis and understanding of the situation and sensitivities in the Member States and fully respects the social partners' role and autonomy, as well as the different industrial relations models.
Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew
Fil-11 ta’ Diċembru 2019, il-Kummissjoni Ewropea nediet il-Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew li jsaħħaħ l-impenn tal-UE li tindirizza l-isfidi relatati mal-klima u l-ambjent li huwa l-kompitu l-iżjed importanti ta’ din il-ġenerazzjoni. L-objettiv tal-Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew huwa li jittrasforma l-UE f’ekonomija moderna, effiċjenti fl-użu tar-riżorsi u kompetittiva, filwaqt li jiżgura:
- l-ebda emissjoni netta ta' gassijiet serra sal-2050;
- it-tkabbir ekonomiku jkun diżakkoppjat mill-użu tar-riżorsi;
- l-ebda persuna u l-ebda post ma jitħallew jibqgħu lura.
Biex twettaq il-Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew, l-UE qed twettaq pakkett komprensiv ta’ inizjattivi, inklużi proposti ta’ politika u leġiżlattivi u l-iżvilupp u l-modernizzazzjoni tal-istrumenti ta’ finanzjament.
Il-KESE ilu jappella għal “Patt Ekoloġiku u Soċjali”, filwaqt li jenfasizza r-rabta mill-qrib bejn il-Patt Ekoloġiku u l-ġustizzja soċjali. Huwa essenzjali li tinstema’ l-vuċi tal-partijiet ikkonċernati kollha sabiex f’ambjent san jitrawmu l-kumpaniji sostenibbli u kompetittivi tal-futur.
Il-Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew għamel enfasi qawwija fuq l-investiment u l-finanzjament tat-tranżizzjoni ekoloġika u sostenibbli. Il-Patt Ekoloġiku huwa essenzjali biex l-Ewropa toħroġ mill-pandemija tal-COVID-19. Terz tal-investimenti ta’ EUR 1,8 triljun mill-Pjan ta’ Rkupru tan-NextGenerationEU, u l-baġit ta’ seba’ snin tal-UE, jiffinanzjaw il-Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew. Din l-ispinta fl-opportunitajiet ta’ finanzjament għandha l-għan li tbiddel il-kriżi f’opportunità trasformattiva għall-futur tal-Ewropa.
Il-KESE għandu rwol kruċjali fil-monitoraġġ tal-implimentazzjoni tal-inizjattivi u l-azzjonijiet tal-Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew. Il-KESE jħejji Opinjonijiet u jorganizza attivitajiet (ara l-menu sekondarju fuq ix-xellug ta’ din il-paġna) biex jiżgura li l-istituzzjonijiet tal-UE jqisu l-fehmiet tas-soċjetà ċivili organizzata u li l-inizjattivi tal-Patt Ekoloġiku jkunu koerenti maċ-ċirkostanzi ekonomiċi, soċjali u ċiviċi fil-prattika.
Minħabba n-natura trasversali u komprensiva tiegħu, il-Patt Ekoloġiku Ewropew huwa kopert mis-Sezzjonijiet kollha tal-KESE u mis-CCMI.
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The Commission's new Circular Economy Action Plan focuses on sustainable products, less waste, product value chains, and circularity in regions and cities, and the global level.
This EESC opinion will respond to the European Commission's proposal for a regulation on establishing a European Climate Law and it will look into the role of citizens in driving the transformation towards climate neutrality.
The opinion will provide guidance on how to build on existing structures like citizens' dialogues and assemblies, social dialogue committees in order to structure and mainstream the dialogue with civil society. It will also make recommendations about how to encourage information sharing and public understanding of climate action; how to create real and virtual spaces for exchange on climate and how to build capacity to facilitate grassroots initiatives, among others.
Disruptions like coronavirus (COVID-19) threaten to bring the world economy and social life to a standstill. Its impacts include recessions in the USA, the EU, Japan and other regions of the world, extremely slow growth in China and huge losses in terms of output. Governments have to offset economic damage with fiscal and monetary policies and cope with the expected changes of the economic paradigm. The EESC stresses the need for efficient business models and trade defence mechanisms, in particular with regard to Asia, and notes that 36 million jobs in the EU depend on the EU's exporting potential, and that the share of EU employment supported by sales of goods and services to the rest of the world in relation to total employment increased from 10.1% in 2000 to 15.3% in 2017. The fiscal, economic and social response to the crisis is necessary for preventing its negative impact on these and other sectors.
Opinjoni tal-KESE: Fostering competitiveness, innovation, growth and job creation by advancing in global regulatory cooperation, by supporting a renewed multilateral trading scheme and by reducing market-distorting subsidies (own-initiative opinion)
The unprecedented magnitude of the COVID crisis requires an unprecedented, long-term and unequivocal response. International trade is a vital tool to finance recovery ge get out of the crisis. In these efforts, the EU must stay true to its values and ensure the protection of businesses, workers and people, leaving no one behind. Recovery must be based on sustainability, and inclusive and green growth. Green Deal measures are therefore more relevant than ever.
The transition to a low-carbon economy is the EU's goal and obligation and the EU committed itself to implement this transition in a socially just and cost-effective manner. It is thus important to examine all the feasible ways of financing climate neutrality, and possibly find new and innovative financing models in the near future.
The coronavirus outbreak will have a deep and negative impact on the achievement of the SDGs and the objectives of the European Green Deal. For this reason, the EESC insists on the need to face this urgent threat as soon as possible and focus our recovery efforts without undue delay on the SDGs and the Green Deal. The Sustainable Europe Investment Plan (SEIP) is the first comprehensive policy measure to fulfil very ambitious targets of carbon neutrality until 2050 in line with the EU Green Deal. While saluting the Green Deal's ambitions, the EESC regrets the lack of consistency with the budgetary allocation within the next Multiannual Financial Framework and also expresses its doubts about the effectiveness of climate mainstreaming in all EU programmes and calls on the Member States to involve civil society organisations in pushing for climate-proof EU spending.