The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2003/87/EC clarifying provisions on the timing of auctions of greenhouse gas allowances
EESC Opinion: Timing of auctions of greenhouse gas allowances (category C)
The EESC welcomes a banking union to place the banking sector on a more sound footing and restore confidence in the euro as part of a longer-term vision for economic and fiscal integration. Shifting the supervision of banks to the European level is a key part of this process, which must subsequently be combined with other steps such as a common system for deposit protection, and integrated bank crisis management. A banking union would represent a step towards the euro zone and the EU as a whole embarking on a virtuous cycle overcoming its design flaws and enabling the single market to regain competitiveness.
The Commission has published a Green Paper to discuss ways to regulate the shadow banking sector, an essential source of liquidity outside the regular banking system.
The EESC believes the players in the sector that include hedge funds, money market funds and structured investment vehicles should be subject to the very same regulatory and prudential requirements as the financial system as a whole.
The Committee insists the entire financial sector must assume social responsibility by moving beyond mere speculation and by serving economic growth.
The Committee considers it vital to develop practical proposals for action to ensure that the various EU institutions act, within their respective remits, to frame suitable measures for implementing Article 11(1) and (2) TEU.To this end, the EESC put forward a set or recommendation which, on the basis of a monitoring and rationalisation of existing processes, could facilitate a bigger structured implication of civil society organisations. The EESC should help to organise, along with all other relevant stakeholders and the EU institutions in particular, a large-scale annual event that would offer shared input to the agenda of EU priorities.
EESC opinion: Articles 11(1) and 11(2) of the Lisbon Treaty
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Amendment to the Commission proposal COM(2011) 628 final/2 for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy
EESC Opinion: Common agricultural policy / Financing, management and monitoring (category C)
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey
EESC Opinion: Honey (amending Directive 2001/110/EC) (category C)
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain technical and control measures in the Skagerrak and amending Regulation (EC) No 850/98 and Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008
COM(2012) 471 final - 2012/0232 (COD)
EESC Opinion: Technical and control measures in the Skagerrak (category C)
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel
EESC Opinion: Measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel (category C)