The EESC opinion on the 2026 European Semester-Spring Package delivers a clear final political message: Europe does not primarily need new priorities. It needs to implement more effectively those already agreed, thus also ensuring a balance between economic, social and environmental objectives. The European Semester should therefore evolve into Europe’s strategic delivery framework for sustainable competitiveness, ensuring that reforms, investments and governance deliver tangible benefits for citizens, businesses, workers and future generations. Success should increasingly be measured not only by the quality of policy recommendations, but by the quality of their implementation and their contribution to productivity, resilience, social cohesion, quality jobs and long-term prosperity.
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Download — advies EESC: 2026 European Semester – Spring Package
The EU emissions trading system (ETS) is the key policy tool for achieving the EU's climate targets. The existing ETS (ETS1) aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial and energy installations, aircraft operators and maritime transport by setting a price on carbon through a cap-and-trade system.
The Commission's ETS revision proposal is expected to address several issues, notably the role of carbon dioxide removals, the expansion of the current scope to additional sectorsand GHGs not yet covered by the ETS, new rules on how to account for non-permanent carbon capture and utilisation, and the risk of carbon leakage in sectors not covered by the carbon border adjustment mechanism.
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Download — advies EESC: Revision of the EU emissions trading system
Chips Act 2, the revision of the EU Chips Act, aims to further strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem and competitiveness across the full value chain, with a particular focus on advanced manufacturing and AI chips.
The European Commission’s Annual Competition Report 2025 summarises the key policy and enforcement developments in EU competition policy in 2025, covering State aid, antitrust, mergers, the Foreign Subsidies Regulation and the Digital Markets Act.
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Download — advies EESC: Report on Competition Policy 2025
This opinion will look into the important role that organised civil society can play to implement the Single Market Strategy and in the overall integration of the EU Single Market.
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Download — advies EESC: Making civil society a driving force in the understanding and implementation of the Single Market Strategy
This opinion examines the Commission’s plans to make EU rules simpler, clearer and better enforced, focusing on better regulation, digital tools, legislative simplification and stronger enforcement across the single market.
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Download — advies EESC: Communication on a Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rulebook
