De EESC-voorzitter
EESC President
A strong emphasis on the EU's recovery, health union and digitalisation, a firm position on defending the rule of law and a focus on the future of Europe: these are the elements of this year's State of the Union that are very much welcomed by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and that particularly align with its priorities.
15/09/2021
At today's informal meeting of the EU ministers for employment and social policy, I underlined that work on resilient and inclusive labour markets for all is among the core priorities of the EESC's work.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made us realise that we need more than just money to solve the current situation. The transition to an economy that is greener and more digital needs to be linked to a social recovery.
09/07/2021
Statement by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
The EESC condemns in the strongest terms the attempt by Hungarian lawmakers to assimilate homosexuality with paedophilia in amendments that represent a new wave of legislative stigmatisation of LGBTIQ persons in the country.
24/06/2021
The state-orchestrated forced landing of the civilian plane connecting two EU capitals on 23 May 2021 at the airport of Minsk represents an unacceptable attack on the safety of travellers and an assault on the freedom of press. The EESC, as representative of organised European civil society, strongly opposes any attack against the freedom of speech or press and severely condemns all acts of violence. ...
25/05/2021
On the day of the launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe, I encourage citizens to take part in this historic undertaking. I would also like to appeal to policy-makers to ensure that we get the most out of what people have to say.
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09/05/2021
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) intends to play an active part in joint European efforts to translate the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) into action and to build a fairer and more prosperous Europe for everyone.
07/05/2021
EESC president Christa Schweng welcomes the result of the vote in the European Parliament to grant the European Economic and Social Committee budgetary discharge for 2019. The Committee takes all the recommendations very seriously and is committed to continuing the reforms.
29/04/2021
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted at its April plenary session a resolution on the Conference on the Future of Europe in which it calls on "a new narrative grounded on the realities of everyday life" to reconnect and engage with European citizens. For this, according to the resolution, it is essential to ensure that organised civil society is involved and plays a major role.
27/04/2021
Statement by Christa Schweng, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Dimitris Dimitriadis, President of the Section for External Relations (REX)
23/03/2021
Organised civil society is a key player in our democracies in Europe. We need to involve it in the current recovery and reconstruction process to make sure that no one is left behind on our way towards a sustainable Europe in 2030 and beyond.
17/03/2021
Middelbare scholieren uit heel Europa hebben deelgenomen aan een door het Europees Economisch en Sociaal Comité (EESC) georganiseerde virtuele jongerentop over het klimaat op 18 en 19 maart 2021 en hebben na afloop concrete voorstellen overhandigd aan Frans Timmermans, uitvoerend vicevoorzitter van de Europese Commissie.
19/03/2021
Statement by EESC President Christa Schweng
I welcome today's signature of the joint declaration between the European Commission, European Parliament and the Council that sets out the Conference on the Future of Europe. The European Economic and Social Committee is looking forward to actively contributing to the debate, being invited as an observer.
10/03/2021
We are looking forward to working on the European Commission's three major initiatives: a Communication on "the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan", a Proposal for a Directive to "strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms" as well as on "the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021 – 2030".
04/03/2021
EESC president Christa Schweng welcomes the result of the vote by the European Parliament's Budgetary Control Committee (CONT), adopting a draft report to grant our institution budgetary discharge for 2019. The Committee takes all the recommendations very seriously and will continue to cooperate with the European Parliament to address remaining doubts.
02/03/2021
On behalf of the European Economic and Social Committee I want to congratulate Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her appointment as Director-General of the World Trade Organization and I wish her a successful mandate. This appointment in itself brings wind of a much awaited change and marks a historic achievement.
17/02/2021
We are deeply concerned at the humanitarian crisis that thousands of Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani migrants are currently facing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Regrettably, migrants are also experiencing the same inhumane treatment at other external borders of the EU and in countries such as Libya and Turkey, where they have been stranded on their way to the EU.
29/01/2021
During their meeting on 27 January 2021 EESC President Christa Schweng and Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa stated that, at a time when everything was becoming a matter of urgency – vaccination, economic recovery, the climate and digital transitions, and the relaunch of the European Pillar of Social Rights – it was especially important to focus on quality delivery.
27/01/2021
Statement from Christa Schweng and Jack O'Connor – Congratulations to the European Union and United Kingdom negotiators for successfully concluding a most complex and difficult negotiation to deliver a Trade Agreement which is vitally important to the people of both the UK and all of Europe.
24/12/2020
I warmly welcome the long-awaited adoption of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-27 and the Recovery Fund, with the rule of law as a conditionality. We urgently need this strong financial stimulus to counteract the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 and to shape the post-pandemic future of the EU.
11/12/2020
In spite of the enormous challenges posed by the pandemic, European employers, workers and civil society organisations jointly urge all 27 Member States to deliver the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the EU's Resilience and Recovery fund.
08/12/2020
Recovery from the current crisis, the impasse on long term EU budget and the future of the EU were the main topics of the discussion between the president of the EESC, Christa Schweng, and the president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli. The two presidents met virtually on 1 December for the first time in the current EESC term.
01/12/2020
Long-term EU budget clinch, fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and the conference on the future of Europe – these were the main topics of the discussion between the presidents of the European Council and the European Economic and Social Committee. Christa Schweng and Charles Michel met via video conference on Friday, 27 November.
27/11/2020
Statement by Christa Schweng, President of the European Economic and Social Committee and Dimitris Dimitriadis, President of the External Relations Section. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a body representing organised European civil society, congratulates Maia Sandu on her election as sixth president of the Republic of Moldova and as the first female president in the country's history.
18/11/2020
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) releases the full programme of its new president, Christa Schweng, for her 2020-2023 term of office
11/11/2020
In my capacity as President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Joe Biden for his election as the 46th President of the United States of America, as well as to Ms. Kamala Harris as Vice-President.
09/11/2020
In an annual conference held entirely online on 3-4 November, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) voiced its determination to help make the Circular Economy Platform a real hub of the collective effort to build a circular economy in Europe.
05/11/2020
The new head of the EESC is a convinced European with EU experience spanning two decades and considerable expertise in social matters, who firmly believes that the EU's civil society has the power to contribute to Europe's post-COVID-19 recovery and future resilience.
28/10/2020
Verenigd voor de toekomst van Europa: de nieuwe voorzitter is vastbesloten de eenheid en de reputatie van het EESC te herstellen en zijn meerwaarde te tonen bij het beïnvloeden van de beleidsvorming op EU-niveau
28/10/2020
Inaugural plenary session (Term of office 2020-2025), with a debate on “Recovery for the future of Europe – The role of the European Economic and Social Committee”, with David Maria SASSOLI, Charles MICHEL, Ursula VON DER LEYEN, Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS, Geert PAUWELS, Luca VISENTINI, and Jeremy WATES.
Sitting in front of a screen is not exactly how we had pictured this inaugural session. You may be asking yourselves why, as the new president, I am also participating remotely. Believe me, it was not easy for me to decide not to travel to Brussels. The reason for my decision is simple: we can only ask our people, our members and staff to limit their social interactions and change their everyday behaviour to fight the COVID-19 pandemic if we ourselves set an example.
29/10/2020
Video
United for the future of Europe. This is the guiding principle for my work as new president of the European Economic and Social Committee. Only united we can successfully overcome the economic and social hardship caused by CoViD-19. Only united we can shape a Europe that is economically prosperous, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
28/10/2020
Speeches
The President's agenda
22/09/2021 23/09/2021