Public hearing

The social economy is a vital part of the European social and economic system. It generates and maintains high-quality jobs, fosters the inclusion of marginalised groups into the labour market, promotes sustainable business practices, and provides employment for millions of people. In this way, it makes the single market more inclusive, our societies more cohesive and fosters employment models that are tailored to local and communal needs.

Online Public debate in the framework of the opinion on "The role of cohesion policy in upcoming rounds of EU enlargement".

This public hearing is being organised as part of the preparation of the exploratory opinion ECO/630 on "Boosting long-term inclusive growth through reforms and investment" requested by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU. It focuses on how to foster upwards social convergence and cohesion, in an economic governance framework defined around debt sustainability, productive investments and reforms. It also looks at the implications of such a framework for the European Semester and the strengthening of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

The Commission's proposal Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT) deals with a new single set of rules to determine the tax base of groups of companies, and is aimed at reducing tax compliance costs for large businesses operating across borders and making it easier for national authorities to determine which taxes are due. Directly linked to BEFIT is the proposal on transfer pricing, with the purpose to harmonise transfer pricing rules of Member States and to ensure a common application of the arm's-length principle within the EU. The new framework builds on the previous experiences from the common consolidated corporate tax base CCCTB, the OECD/G20 international tax agreement concerning the global minimum level of taxation, and on the Pillar Two Directive adopted at the end of 2022.