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.
The EESC will be hosting a photograph exhibition from 26 May 2016 showcasing Dutch creative industries. The focus is put particularly on estuary and maritime technology, innovation and sustainability. The exhibition, entitled "the Netherlands: resourceful & future-proof", is being held in cooperation with the Dutch Presidency of the EU and will run until 24 June 2016 in the Foyer 6 of the JDE building.
To mark the beginning of the Slovak EU Presidency, the EESC is organising during the July plenary session the opening of a photo exhibition “Reflections from Slovakia” by Yaro M. Kupčo, a Slovak photography artist. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU and Slovaks in Luxembourg ASBL.
An exhibition to celebrate the Conference of Messina in 1955
This exhibition will be organized in cooperation with the Historical Archives of the European Union, Alinari, Consiglio Italiano del Movimiento Europeo and SMILE.
On 10 January 2017, the EESC, in cooperation with the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC), is organizing the screening of the film "Sold" at Bozar.
Based on true stories, "Sold" illustrates the brutality of child trafficking, which affects millions of children around the globe every year. EESC Vice Presdient Gonçalo Lobo Xavier will participate in the opening and Group I member Madi Sharma, rapporteur for opinions on human trafficking, will participate in the debate following the screening.
Exhibition of photographs taken by the British photojournalist Giles Duley
In the framework of a cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Giles Duley is capturing the stories of the refugees arriving on the Greek island of Lesvos.
Mr Duley will take part at the opening and present his work in person
The exhibition focuses on an accessible society for autistic persons. Pictures were taken by three photographers from the UK, Poland and Luxembourg, all aiming to help people understand what accessibility means for autistic persons and what kind of obstacles they face in their everyday life. Ultimately, the exhibition also aims at celebrating human diversity and at triggering a reflection on how to create the conditions for better inclusion for all in our community.
Photographs: Graham Miller, Michał Awin and André Weisgerber
On June 2016, the Commission and the European external Action service presented the Joint Communication 'Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations'. In it, three work streams are outlined:
- Supporting culture as an engine for sustainable social and economic development.
- Promoting Culture and intercultural dialogue for peaceful inter-community relations.
The External Relations Section (REX) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is responsible for dialogue between European civil society organisations and their homologues from the countries with which the European Union has formal relations (e.g. under the form of a Free Trade Agreement). Through this dialogue, made possible by a series of bilateral bodies, and through specialized opinions and information reports, the Committee is able to concretely contribute to EU foreign policy.
This study is conducted to better understand youngsters' relationship with the EU. The study examines 14- to 18-year-old youngsters' perceptions, and knowledge of the EU as well as their expectations towards the EU, and openness to the European diversity.