The EESC has been entrusted by the Cotonou Agreement with maintaining relations with socio-economic actors and civil society from ACP countries.
Priorities and activities within the frame of the ACP-EU civil society relations are decided and implemented through an ACP-EU Follow-Up Committee (FuC), which is composed of 12 EESC members and 12 representatives of ACP economic and social interest groups. The FuC is also a primary partner of the political authorities in the Cotonou partnership and the other EU institutions.
The LMO and CEDEFOP organise a joint event "Education and Training - Employment Encounter" on the 23 March 2018 in Lisbon. The aim is to strengthen contacts between EU-level and national policymakers and VET providers and encourage dialogue between, on one side, the education & training actors and, on the other side, the Portuguese labour market stakeholders of Portugal. Participants include the Minister of Labour, training providers, social partners, students' organisations and the national Economic and Social Council.
The illicit tobacco trade is a major concern for the EU, posing great risks to both consumers and businesses and causing losses of more than EUR 10 billion to public revenues annually. It is also an important source of revenue for international organised crime. This conference will discuss how to step up the fight against the illicit tobacco trade from the perspective of different stakeholders.
The Civil Society Platform complements the political bodies existing within the framework of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, and it allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the implementation process and prepare their recommendations to the relevant authorities both in Georgia as well as in the European Union.
Ongoing megatrends such as globalisation, digitalisation and demographic change have a significant impact on labour markets and businesses across Europe. 40% of European employers have difficulty in finding people with the skills they need to grow and innovate. At the same time, 70 million Europeans lack adequate reading and writing skills and even more have poor numeracy and digital skills.
How do we bridge the skills gap? How do we adapt education systems to the challenges of today? What should be done at European and national level? Together, we will attempt to answer these questions at the conference on "Bridging the skills gap for growth and job creation – business perspective". The event will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 22 March and is being jointly organised by all the major Bulgarian employers' associations. High-level representatives of employers' organisations, policy-makers and academics will discuss and share best practice in order to put forward ideas and solutions.
Representation of the EC in Germany
Unter den Linden 78
DE - 10117 Berlin
Berlin
Germany
In September 2016, the EESC adopted an own-initiative opinion on "The rights of live-in care workers". It was a first policy document at the European level dealing with the sector of live-in care work in Europe. As follow-up to this initiative, the EESC will carry out 5 country visits to countries of origin and destination of live-in care workers (United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Italy and Poland) to deepen the research on labour and work conditions of these persons and the quality of care delivery. The findings will be presented in a report to be released by the EESC later in 2018.
Consumers are becoming increasingly digital, whether by choice or by default. As society and the economy advance towards the age of post-mass consumption and the Internet of Things, what can consumers expect? A new generation is asking: how does big data affect the choices I make? How much is my personal data worth, and who is using it?
United in diversity: a younger future for European culture
Brussels
2018 will be the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH), and the European Economic and Social Committee will invite pupils from all over Europe to Brussels in order to get their opinion on the best way to engage European youth in the protection and promotion of our common cultural heritage. The Committee is also interested in the pupils’ fresh views on the relationship between culture, democracy and peace.
The EESC, as the voice of civil society, is eager to ensure that the ideas of Europe’s younger generation are heard.
533rd Plenary Session – Debate on the Digital Single Market and artificial intelligence, with Andrus Ansip, European Commissioner for the Digital Single Market, and a statement by Marcos Peña, president of the Spanish Economic and Social Council
European Economic and Social Committee, JDE62, Rue Belliard 99
Brussels
Belgium
In November 2017, the European Commission proposed an amendment to the Gas Directive (2009/73/EC) to ensure that gas pipelines from and to third countries are subject to the common rules of the internal gas market. The aim of this extension of the Gas Directive is to increase competition between gas suppliers and to boost energy security in the Energy Union.
Given the increasing dependency on gas imports, this amendment raises a number of political and economic questions in particular concerning its implications for current and future investments, regulatory burden for national authorities, and the autonomy of Member States in conducting external energy policy.
The objective of the hearing is to gather relevant views of experts and stakeholders that will help the EESC shape a comprehensive view of civil society on the Commission's proposal.
