The purpose of this own-initiative opinion is to examine the potential social advantages (the public goods produced by the farming sector which will benefit society and the economy) and eventual constraints hampering its realisation. The opinion looks also into existing regulatory frameworks within which these initiatives take place.
The EESC welcomes a banking union to place the banking sector on a more sound footing and restore confidence in the euro as part of a longer-term vision for economic and fiscal integration. Shifting the supervision of banks to the European level is a key part of this process, which must subsequently be combined with other steps such as a common system for deposit protection, and integrated bank crisis management. A banking union would represent a step towards the euro zone and the EU as a whole embarking on a virtuous cycle overcoming its design flaws and enabling the single market to regain competitiveness.
The Committee considers it vital to develop practical proposals for action to ensure that the various EU institutions act, within their respective remits, to frame suitable measures for implementing Article 11(1) and (2) TEU.To this end, the EESC put forward a set or recommendation which, on the basis of a monitoring and rationalisation of existing processes, could facilitate a bigger structured implication of civil society organisations. The EESC should help to organise, along with all other relevant stakeholders and the EU institutions in particular, a large-scale annual event that would offer shared input to the agenda of EU priorities.
Download — EESC opinion: Articles 11(1) and 11(2) of the Lisbon Treaty
With this opinion the EESC wants to highlight all forms of older peoples' participation in society. It recommends eliminating any barriers to their involvement and fostering their contribution. This means: increasing the offer of adapted learning for older people, namely on ICT, encouraging them to work until the retirement age and possibly beyond, provided that work environments and contractual arrangements meet their needs, valuing their role as volunteers, in particular as informal care givers, and recognising them as important consumers of goods and services.
Download — EESC opinion: Participation of older people in society
The findings of the study commissioned by the EESC and carried out in 27 Member States show that there is widespread frustration and distrust among the Roma community and civil society organisations. It seems that the National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIs) have not met the growing expectations of the Roma.
The instruments and resources available appear insufficient to compensate for the continuing negative impact of discrimination and exclusion. The EESC feels that a rights-based approach is needed and emphasises that organised civil society, including Roma organisations and lobbies, must be fully involved throughout the development of NRISs (planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation).
