Comité Económico e Social Europeu
Current labour and skills shortages in all EU Member States are acting as a bottleneck for economic growth. They represent a serious challenge to business development by putting additional pressure on labour markets across all sectors and at different skill levels.
Ukrainian businesses, and especially SMEs, need to be saved now to be able to act as the driver of reconstruction after the war. A joint letter signed by Employers' Group President Stefano Mallia, President Gennadiy Chyzhykov from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Executive Director Anna Derevyanko from the European Business Association in Ukraine called for immediate actions to support Ukrainian SMEs already during the war. The letter was sent to the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and forwarded to further stakeholders.
Prague has put forward a pragmatic and dynamic programme that correctly identifies the immediate challenges we face.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), just a week ahead of the EU Council Summit, adopted its second Resolution on Ukraine, strongly supporting the country's unconditional candidate status to the EU. The European civil society will be working hand in hand with Ukraine for Ukraine on the reconstruction of the country delivering a stronger, greener, more resilient and sustainable European partner.
Emmanuel Macron launched the French presidency of the Council of the EU by proposing the idea of a new European growth model. This new model should make it possible to create employment, reconcile economic development and climate ambition, respond to digital challenges and rely on a redesigned European financial framework.
But how can we achieve a Europe that can reconcile the paradox between growth and prosperity on the one hand and a sustainable future for our planet on the other? How can we guarantee the competitiveness of our companies in this just transition?
23 March 2022 - Invited by the EESC Employers’ Group to discuss the impact of Putin’s aggression on Ukraine and the reconstruction of the country after the war, Ukrainian business representatives urged EU companies to stop all commercial activities in Russia.
23 March 2022 - The members of the Employers' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee voted strongly against the EESC opinion on the European Commission's proposal for a Directive on improving working conditions in platform work and put forward a counter-opinion, which collected more than a third of the votes and will be appended to the EESC opinion.
The list of new work appointments for December 2021 and the most recent list of ongoing EESC work are available for download in the attachments below.
So, what is the Europe we dream of?
First and foremost, it's a strong and more competitive Europe – a Europe that leads the world in the green and digital transitions while maintaining and enhancing prosperity for present and future generations.
Do not ask me what the EU will look like in 2040. Who would have predicted in 2007 that we would be in constant crisis? Even if one must be careful with the word crisis: how else can we call what happened with the banks, the eurozone, the refugees in 2015-2016, the pandemic or terrorism. So I've learned not to predict. But I can try to outline what the EU should look like, regardless of the circumstances.
