Undeclared work undermines the ideals of legality, security, solidarity and is a threat to social and tax justice, free market competition and free movement of workers in the EU. The EESC welcomes the establishment of a European platform to help EU countries prevent and deter this phenomenon and calls on to the new Commission to facilitate the adoption of a common strategy to this end.
Download — EESC opinion: Undeclared work / European Platform
The European Parliament has requested EESC's opinion on the structure and organisation of the social dialogue in the EMU. Social dialogue is and must remain an inherent part of EU's growth and employment policies, notably in measures to fight the crisis. Economic governance and social integration are both integral parts of creating growth and jobs. Social dialogue can play a decisive role to guarantee sustainable economic and social recovery in all EU countries, help generating high-quality jobs and succeed in economic and social reforms.
Download — EESC opinion: Social dialogue in the context of the EMU
The EESC stresses that occupational pension schemes, created as a result of decisions by the social partners, can play a very important role in ensuring that employees have additional pension provision. The EESC disagrees with the approach to IORPs purely as financial market institutions, which fails to acknowledge their important social function. A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right way of achieving the Commission's objectives given the numerous differences between pension schemes in Member States.
Download — EESC opinion: Review of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Pensions Directive
The EESC has frequently noted the importance of broadband access and acknowledges the progress made in increasing its share in the EU.
But the Committee is deeply worried about the persisting digital divide between EU citizens. This gap is not closing for reasons relating to factors including education, age, the high price of IT, the fact that most information is in English, and differences between rural, urban and island regions.
The digital society must not be an additional cause for exclusion. The EESC particularly wants to see EU-wide measures to ensure that people with disabilities have access and enjoy equal conditions in relation to new technologies.
Download — Digital society: access, education, training, employment, tools for equality
The Communication of the Commission presents an EU Quality Framework for Anticipation of Change and Restructuring (QFR). It follows on from the Green Paper ‘Restructuring and anticipation of change: what lessons from recent experience’ of 17 January 2012 and the request made by the European Parliament on 15 January 2013 in its Resolution on information and consultation of workers, anticipation and management of restructuring based on Article 225 of the TFEU (known as the Cercas Report).
The EESC welcomes the Commission communication and emphasises the growth potential of crowdfunding in the EU as an alternative source of funding. It also emphasises the dependence of SMEs on bank loans, a situation that will persist despite the existence of alternative sources which are not always easy to access. Therefore Crowdfunding should be explicitly recognised in the laws of the Member States as a new form of patronage.
Download — EESC opinion: Crowdfunding in the European Union
The exploratory opinion is being drawn up at the request of the Greek Presidency of the European Union. Immigration-related issues remain a key challenge for the European Union and its Member States with a comprehensive and common strategy at EU level remaining elusive, in spite of the continued pressures that are being felt on the EU's borders.
Download — European Immigration policy and relationship with third countries
