underscores the strategic importance of a high-quality, inclusive education and a skilled workforce for Europe’s competitiveness, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Addressing current challenges requires bold, systemic reforms and investment in inclusive, high-quality education and training systems;
stresses that the success of the Union of skills depends on effective and cooperative governance, adequate financing, and inclusive representation of social partners, national authorities and other stakeholders, including civil society organisations, teachers and learners
Believes the APS should be intersectional and gender-responsive, based on a multidimensional definition of poverty
Recommends setting ambitious, measurable targets, including the eradication of extreme poverty, and framing poverty as a violation of fundamental rights
Reimagining the design of cities, communities and housing is essential to face the current challenges. Civil society organisations have a key role to play in steering this transformation. Sustainability and the right to housing must be at the heart of future strategies. The EU could contribute to this by increasing European funding for affordable housing and supporting the social economy.
Conference of the EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group in the framework of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Copenhagen, Danish Society of Engineers (IDA), 2 July 2025
At its June 2025 plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted a forward-looking opinion on the future of the EU Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, calling for a more ambitious and binding approach for the 2025–2030 period.
At its June plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted a pivotal opinion addressing the growing threat of social exclusion and marginalisation driven by the erosion of purchasing power. This opinion, part of the EESC’s broader cost-of-living crisis package, focuses on the social dimensions of the crisis and outlines a comprehensive strategy to safeguard vulnerable populations and reinforce Europe’s social fabric.
Following a debate in plenary with European Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted an own-initiative opinion urging the European Commission to deliver a more ambitious and fairer action plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
As the voice of organised civil society, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) plays a crucial role in shaping policies that impact social and economic aspects within the European Union. The EESC's Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) is preparing two key opinions: one will tackle the fight against poverty head-on, while the other looks at revising the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) Action Plan.
