The EESC laments the severity of the money laundering phenomenon in the EU. Current European legislation is largely inadequate in the face of coordination failures and national divergences, and therefore strongly supports the Anti Money Laundering legislative package, in particular the creation and design of the new European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) with direct supervisory powers.
The EESC believes that an economic transition from a model driven by growth to one predicated on sustainability is inevitable. Given the sheer complexity of and the huge challenges posed by this transition, the proposals for new indicators set out in this opinion are only one example of approaches that could be taken when it comes to tools for measuring the social, economic and environmental situation. A concise "Beyond GDP" scoreboard should be designed and incorporated into the European Green Deal scoreboard and the European economic governance process. Indicators that look beyond GDP must be able to do more than merely monitor and measure: they must inform policy development, improve communication and promote target setting.
Download — Opinjoni tal-KESE: Beyond GDP measures for a successful recovery and a sustainable and resilient EU economy (Own-initiative opinion)
The EESC strongly believes in the importance of the next Semester cycle as a key instrument for implementing the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
However, it is still concerned about the lack of clarity in most Member States as regards their National Recovery and Resilience Plan governance systems and the distribution of responsibilities for their implementation.
The EESC would also draw attention to the need to measure progress in implementation, for which good monitoring indicators are needed; in this connection it welcomes the "Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard" initiative.
Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the need for a strong industrial policy to avoid dependence on other economic zones for many products and services.
The EESC wants to see real action in this respect by Member States, in terms of investment in education, infrastructure and industrial policy to raise employment and boost European industry.
The EESC welcomes the fact that the Recovery and Resilience Facility regulation confirms the importance of genuine civil society involvement in the development of national plans and advocates for the establishment of binding conditionality for such consultation. To support economic development the EESC considers the full operation of the Single Market as well as fiscal policies and support measures crucial, while calling for the establishment of new fiscal rules that reflect social and economic realities after the pandemic. New instruments to combat tax evasion, undeclared work and the shadow economy are also called for. The EESC also welcomes the inclusion of the green and digital transitions, but regrets the insufficient attention paid to social issues. Efforts to move rapidly towards a green and digital economy must not result in a further increase in poverty and greater social exclusion.
