As Europe seeks to strengthen its competitiveness in an increasingly fragmented global economy, the challenge is not only to boost productivity and innovation, but also to preserve the foundations of its social market economy. This high-level conference will examine how the EU can mobilise savings and investment, maintain sustainable public finances, and deepen Economic and Monetary Union to support long-term growth, resilience and convergence.
Public Debate | 8 April 2026 | 14:30-16:00 | Online Event Rising tensions and the renewed conflict in Iran adds new volatility to an already fragile global economic environment. Against a backdrop of geopolitical fragmentation, energy market uncertainty and slowing growth, understanding the macroeconomic implications of this conflict for Europe has become increasingly urgent. The Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO) of the EESC will organise a public debate to examine the broader macroeconomic consequences of the conflict in Iran for the European economy.
Lessons learned and a new Inflation Governance Framework
Event type
Conference
Location
room VMA 22, Van Maerlant 2
Brussels
Belgium
On Wednesday, 3 September 2025, from 14:00 – 17:30 (CET), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will host an event organised by the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, in cooperation with Fondazione Pietro Nenni and tasc, discussing lessons learned from the recent inflation episode and the new inflation governance framework that needs to be developed to prevent or mitigate the supply side inflation shocks in the future.
The EESC welcomes the overall positive trade balance of the EU and calls for measures to maintain it, while recommending targeted support for strategically important industries, stronger investment conditions, and effective financing through the Single Market, the Savings and Investments Union, and a more integrated capital market. The EESC also underlines the need to support ambitious companies entering global markets, ensure opportunities for highly skilled professionals, simplify procedures without undermining social and environmental standards, create fiscal space for growth-enhancing investments, and strengthen multilateralism through new trade agreements and WTO reforms.
On 11 February, the European Commission published its 2025 work programme. Several initiatives in the work programme – initiatives to enhance competitiveness through the promotion of reforms and investments, both private and public, the new the Savings and Investment Union, as well as the next Multiannual Financial Framework, just to name a few – fall in the remit of the Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). We organise this debate to discuss with representatives of the Commission and the members of the EESC the conditions and actions needed for the EU and its Member States to successfully implement what is outlined in the Commission and achieve the shared goals of the Union.
This own-initiative opinion constitutes the contribution of the ECO section to the 2025 EESC transversal own-initiative opinion package on the cost-of-living crisis, looking at specific economic policy measures that can help make the European economy future-proof.
