The EESC opinion looks into how industry practices influence public health and contribute to the rise of non-communicable diseases, aiming to identify barriers to effective policies and propose stronger preventive measures.
Clean technologies are projected to continue expanding in turnover, investments and jobs. Thanks to ambitious climate targets, the EU is a global leader in high-value inventions and was an early mover in developing a cleantech production base. However, it has lost technological leadership in several sectors and its manufacturing base is eroding.
The EESC recalls the importance of civil society for democratic societies, and calls for a strengthening of in civil dialogue and civic participation at European level, including of the EESC's own role. It calls for a the adoption of an interinstitutional agreement on civil dialogue to ensure consistent civil dialogue practices across EU institutions, and proposes launching a pilot project for a civil society platform, which should among others monitor civil dialogue through an annual scoreboard and host an annual event on civil dialogue.
