European Works Councils (EWCs) are information and consultation bodies which ensure that employees are involved in decisions related to transnational issues. They concern companies with over 1,000 employees operating in at least two EU or European Economic Area countries. The current Directive 2009/38/EC sets out the procedures for establishing EWCs and informing and consulting them on transnational matters. The proposed revision aims to strengthen the role of EWCs by facilitating their creation, promoting more meaningful information and consultation, and ensuring they have the necessary capacity to carry out their work. It also seeks to improve the gender balance of EWCs.
Download — Opinia EKES-u: Revision of the European Works Council Directive
The European Council of December 2023 discussed the EU enlargement policy, including the stabilisation and association process and next steps in this respect. The enlargement policy will be one of the top priorities for the next coming years. One of the most important aspects of the enlargement process will be the cohesion policy and the structural funds.
The need for a structural policy to be applied following enlargement is justified both by the external necessity of reducing the gap between the applicant countries and the EU average and by the internal necessity of combating increasing disparities amongst and within accession countries.
Download — Opinia EKES-u: The role of cohesion policy in upcoming rounds of EU enlargement
highlights the need for proper information, education and communication on vaccination and underlines the role of the school healthcare system and parents in this endeavour.
Calls for strong efforts to fight misinformation and disinformation by acquiring science-based evidence, as well as by spreading fact-based information through different channels, including social media.
emphasises the need for gender equality in cancer prevention measures and calls for providing HPV vaccination to all girls and boys of a certain age , to intensify communication on the availability of HPV vaccination for boys and to gather and publish information on the vaccination rates of both boys and girls in various Member States.
This opinion focuses on the reform and investment measures in the Member States, in particular those based on the Country-Specific Recommendations 2023, and their implementation, in order to assess the effectiveness of these measures and the possibilities for better targeting of proposals, improved implementation and the monitoring and involvement of organised civil society in the procedures. This opinion also looks at issues concerning the ongoing reform of the EU’s economic governance rules, the central objective of which is to strengthen public debt sustainability while promoting sustainable and inclusive growth in all Member States through reforms and investment. Moreover, the opinion continues the previous consultation exercises by examining the state of the implementation of the reforms and investments provided for in the national Recovery and Resilience Plans and which are financially supported by RRF funds.
Download — Opinia EKES-u: Reform and investment proposals and their implementation in the Member States – what is the opinion of organised civil society? (2023-2024 European Semester cycle)
The proposal for a Directive to amend the Package Travel Directive aims to make the protection of travellers more effective, including in crisis situations.
Download — Opinia EKES-u: Revision of the package travel directive
The purpose of the opinion is to contribute to the further development of foresight in EU's policy-making. The opinion provides the EESC's views on the Commission's 2023 Annual foresight Report, which focused on the sustainability and people's wellbeing at the heart of Europe's Open Strategic Autonomy, as well as recommendations on how to strengthen the Strategic Foresight Agenda.
