Europees Economisch en Sociaal Comité
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) supports the European Commission's concept of a New European Bauhaus: a holistic approach to building a greener and fairer future for Europe together, based on a new lifestyle that combines sustainability, beauty and inclusiveness.
Opening the annual conference of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, EESC President Christa Schweng stressed that this new context, with the prospect of energy prices shooting up, made the case for speeding up the transition to a circular economy and EU strategic autonomy even more compelling.
Taxation is a major tool for meeting public financing needs, as well as for supporting growth and job creation, both during the recovery and in the future, for a green and digital transition in the EU. In an opinion, adopted at its plenary on 23 February, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomed the long-awaited European Commission (EC) initiative on the strategy on business taxation in the 21st century. However, the Committee also points out possible shortcomings and suggests additional key areas to be addressed.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a conference entitled Shaping Europe Together on Thursday 24 February. The purpose of this conference, organised with a view to the conclusion of the Conference of the Future of Europe, was to wrap up work done so far by the Committee and to discuss the latest state of the affairs, challenges ahead and ambitions for the future.
At its plenary session on 24 February, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) presented its opinion entitled 'Fit for 55': delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality. The EESC has put forward concrete proposals to help accelerate the energy transition so as to enable the EU to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
As a result of the digital transition, platform work is spreading rapidly, shaping a new form of employment and affecting millions of workers. The EESC, in the hearing on the “Working conditions of platform workers package”, highlighted the potential risks and how these challenges should be met by the Directive proposed by the European Commission. The package was welcomed by the participants, who raised the need for a common legal framework, given the diversified reactions and practices applied by the Member States when it comes to platform labour.
Recent initiatives on regulating AI systems and digital services represent a significant turning point and mark a growing recognition that the negative impacts of digitalisation need to be urgently addressed. However, there are still many legislative loopholes and gaps that need to be bridged to secure a safe online space that will respect and protect human dignity and not merely serve as the profit-making arena for Big Tech
Key stakeholders of Europe's tourism sector speaking in a debate at the EESC February plenary expressed support for the measures called for by a new EESC report to revive and future-proof the industry.
The conference on Strategic foresight: a vision for the future of Europe, held by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in the framework of its External Relations Section (REX) meeting, highlighted the emerging importance of identifying different possible futures, and explored pathways to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. The participants called for attention to civil society interests and concerns, underlining that these should be reflected in the Strategic Foresight Reports drafted by the Commission.
At the request of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, in the opinion on Food security and sustainable food systems adopted at its plenary session on 19 January 2022, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) identified the key levers for sustainable and competitive EU food production and for reducing dependence on imports while increasing the EU's protein autonomy.
