In 2023 the EU launched its European Economic Security Strategy, committing to performing a thorough review of the possibilities for strengthening its economic security, driven by the wide-scaled geopolitical and geo-economical changes. Building and deepening political and economic alliances with like-minded states and regions, sharing similar European values, seems to be the only viable strategy. In today’s growingly connected, digital, AI-governed world, the mutual interdependencies neither can be ignored, nor can they be framed within protectionist policies and measures. Therefore, the recent trade agreements with Mercosur, India, Canada, Australia and African Union states are right enough and must be further developed.
The EESC Opinion on the Circular Economy Act lands at a defining moment. As Europe confronts fragility in supply chains, intensifying competition for raw materials and the hard lessons of geopolitical dependency, circularity has become an industrial strategy. The legislation that should be out before the end of this year is expected to deliver on competitiveness, resilience and environmental goals at the same time.
The data gathered in our evaluation clearly shows that direct payments and the redistributive measures of the CAP act as an essential safety net to reduce farmers’ income instability. For this reason, the EESC position is firm: in the long term, it is essential to maintain a CAP with a clearly differentiated two-pillar structure. The first pillar must continue to protect direct income support and market stability, while the second pillar must focus on integrated rural development.
With geopolitical tensions rising and global supply chains under strain, RESourceEU has become a geopolitical necessity. The plan commits €3 billion in funding over the next 12 months, mobilised from EU budgets, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and programs like the Innovation Fund, Battery Booster, and Horizon Europe. Its ambition? To halve the EU’s dependence on single external suppliers by 2029 while boosting domestic recycling, mining, and strategic partnerships.
One of the Resolution’s central recommendations is therefore to strengthen the involvement of social partners and civil society organisations throughout the European Semester cycle. Consultation cannot remain a procedural obligation. It must become a genuine driver of policy success.
The 2026 United Nations Water Conference comes at a decisive moment for global water governance. As increased demand from economic activities, unsustainable water use, population growth and climate change put increasing pressure on hydrological resources, water has become a central challenge for societal and economic resilience, social stability and sustainable development. In its dedicated opinion, the EESC outlines a strategic vision for global action, based on its work on the EU Blue Deal and informed by the experience of employers, workers and organised civil society.
At this year’s Delphi Economic Forum, an EESC Employers' Group delegation, led by President Sandra Parthie and composed of members Winand Quaedvlieg, Marcin Nowacki, Michal Pinter, Kristi Sober, and Katalin Sule, joined political, business, and academic leaders to talk about economic growth, geopolitics, and sustainability.
On 26 March 2026, the EESC Employers’ Group hosted the high-level debate “Delivering Europe’s Technological Sovereignty”, with the participation of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen.
Geopolitical tensions, growing fragmentation and rising costs are reshaping international markets and business decisions. Supply chains are no longer optimised for the lowest price, but for reliability and resilience. While the World Trade Organisation (WTO) remains a cornerstone of the global trading system, many decisive developments are increasingly taking place outside its framework, endangering the international rules-based system and stability of our economies.
