Liberal democracy relies on civil liberties and a pluralistic civil society, but considerable political forces in today's Europe are challenging liberal democracy. The social, political and legal framework must allow for a pluralistic civil society. Strong social partners and civil society are needed to defend EU values. The EESC calls for the creation of a Democracy Semester, a European control mechanism, corrective economic measures for non-respect of fundamental EU values, the creation of a European statute for CSOs, or interinstitutional CSO authorisation and, tax incentives to support civil society. Burning social questions must be tackled, ensuring social sustainability and inclusive education.
Download — Opinia EKES-u: Resilient Democracy through a strong and diverse civil society (own-initiative opinion)
The biggest challenge now facing Europe's economy is how to sustain the recovery that is now underway. This is the main message of the 2014 Annual Growth Survey (AGS). Its adoption kicks off the fourth European Semester of economic policy coordination in an environment where growth is beginning to return and Member States are making progress on correcting the imbalances that developed before the crisis.
The 2013 Annual Growth Survey (AGS), which launches the European semester, sets out what the Commission believes should be the overall budgetary, economic and social priorities for the this year. Given the importance of the involvement of the organised civil society and the social partners in setting priorities for action at the national and EU level, the EESC issues its opinion as a contribution to the debates ahead of the Spring European Council.
Download — EUR/005 - EESC opinion on the Annual Growth Survey 2013
The European institutions should jointly develop unified guidelines for civil dialogue. An interinstitutional agreement could help, for example by assigning different roles and objectives to the different institutions based on their competences. The European institutions must also address capacity issues that hinder civil society organisations and institutions from engaging in dialogue.
In a debate with the Commissioner for Democracy, Michael McGrath, the EESC warned about ongoing efforts to silence, discredit and weaken those who stand up for democracy, social justice and fundamental rights, and expressed its readiness to join forces with the Commission to protect Europe’s civil society and fight polarisation
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) must be involved from the outset in the European Commission’s initiatives to step up engagement with civil society. The EESC’s upcoming study on Mapping civil dialogue practises in the EUinstitutions and its 2025 Civil Society Week (17-20 March) can provide valuable input, according to the EESC’s Civil Society Organisations’ Group.
Conference on 'Turn up the volume for civil society! Key actions for the EU's new political cycle' organised by the European Economic and Social Committee's Civil Society Organisations' Group on 3 March in Brussels.
The European Commission’s Defence of Democracy package was the subject of a debate at the April EESC plenary session. Members of the EESC have expressed reservations about its timing and approach, particularly for addressing foreign influence. The EESC argued that the package is not only ineffective, but could harm civic spaces in Europe.
while supporting the goal of transparent lobbying, strongly disagrees with the proposed focus. It urges a EU-wide approach that minimises burdens, safeguards civil society and strengthens existing measures for all lobbying activities.
calls for harmonising electoral processes across Member States to ensure inclusivity, accessibility for people with disabilities, better inclusion of young voters and resilience against potential manipulation;
emphasises the importance of bolstering citizen engagement through innovative formats. It advocates reforms to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) and proposes establishing an EU-wide framework for effective participation.
Addressing immediate and long-term challenges, properly implementing existing EU policies and strengthening EU values are some of the priorities proposed by civil society organisations for the new mandate, along with structured civil dialogue and a strong social agenda.
