European Economic and Social Committee
On 13 January the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) of the European Economic and Social committee (EESC) held its inaugural meeting to welcome new members and adopt the 2021work programme.
The CCMI president, Pietro Francesco De Lotto, vice-president Monika Sitarova and the EESC's members and external delegates, whose term of office runs from November 2020 to November 2025, adopted the CCMI's Political Guidelines and Work Programme for 2021 unanimously.
Despite all the benefits of teleworking, it is now important not to slide into a culture of "round-the-clock" availability of employees
To discuss ways to accelerate action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a sustainable recovery, the EESC Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment held a debate on 15 December in connection with the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2020, published on 8 December. The report is a joint initiative by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), in collaboration with the EESC.
At the webinar organised by the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI), EESC members, external delegates and stakeholders of the mining industry assess the impact of new technologies in the sustainable production of raw materials, highlighting benefits, limitations and potential risks from a social point of view.
Emergency measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 have taken a heavy toll on Europe’s civil society. Although mostly justifiable and necessary to save lives, these measures should never offer a carte blanche to governments to turn what was initially an urgent response into the permanent demise of the rule of law. So finds a recent EESC hearing.
On one of the most important weeks of the year for climate action, with the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the European Council on Climate, and the launching on 16 December of the Climate Pact by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls upon ownership and empowerment of civil society as a precondition to success.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) urges the European Commission to start a new discussion to make sure the green objectives and improved performance of the air traffic management system are covered in the new legislation. The consequences of the COVID‑19 crisis for aviation should also be addressed.
The European Economic and Social Committee advocates a set of common principles for public services to help ensure full compliance of all Member States with democratic norms and the rule of law.
The new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum was strongly criticised during a high-level conference held by the European Economic and Social Committee. Representatives of civil society, think tanks and the European Parliament found that the new pact does not deliver the changes needed to create a proper common European migration and asylum system.
At the webinar organised by the Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN), EESC members point out that the contribution of civil society will be fundamental for the future of the EU's hydrogen strategy.
