The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions, evaluation 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 Civil Society Organisations' Group will hold a thematic debate on the Nature Restoration Law during its meeting on 20 March 2024, from 12:00 to 13:00. You can follow the debate live via the streaming on this event page.
In the context of the upcoming European elections in June 2024, the high-level discussion at the NAT section meeting on 26 February will contribute to set the agenda of the new Commission. Building on previous EESC opinions and events on "The sustainable economy we need" and "Beyond GDP measures", the debate will feed into the own-initiative opinion on A Blueprint for a European Green and Social Deal, based on a wellbeing economy.
The pivotal role of civil society in driving forward the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took centre stage during the plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The discussion made it crystal clear that the UN and EU need to work together to advance the SDGs.
In this opinion, the EESC stresses that the alignment of the circular economy and bioeconomy is crucial for sustainable development and calls for a strong, interlinked strategy to foster innovation, support rural jobs, and ensure the EU stays competitive within planetary boundaries.