In July 2013, the EESC has adopted an Opinion on Industrial policy in which industrial policy was qualified as a Growth initiative with great potentials. Following up the Opinion it is suggested to discuss somewhat underestimated aspects of the on-going industrial cycle that are vital for future growth and jobs, entailing huge consequences for (manufacturing) industry. It is about the impact of services, digitalisation, ICT and new variations in the same framework - such as 3D printing and other applications (ICT-plus) - on the industrial processes. Services are an increasing part of the European economy, and creating more jobs than manufacturing. The ICT-industry itself is growing in Europe by 10% annually. Services and ICT-plus have huge socio-economic and political implications.
The EESC opinion will be dedicated to standalone investment agreements, with a particular emphasis on issues related to sustainable development and civil society involvement. It will contribute to the on-going discussion on the content and level of ambition of sustainable development chapters in the EU standalone investment agreements, as well as on civil society role in the course of negotiations and at the implementation stage.
Download — EESC opinion: Role for sustainable development and civil society involvement in stand-alone EU investment agreements with third countries
The aim of the opinion is to call on the representatives of the European Community institutions and national government to take account of the key role of the social partners and organised civil society in providing European immigration policies with a social dimension and added value.
The EESC appreciates the strong political backing behind the EUSAIR and believes that this is crucial to sustaining effective integration between the Europe 2020 Strategy, European enlargement policy and the regional development strategies.
The EESC maintains that during the different stages of the EUSAIR's implementation, public and private economic stakeholders, the social partners and the various components of organised civil society ought to be ensured adequate guidance through ad hoc training programmes and organisational and technical support.
Moreover, ad hoc indicators should be identified to enable the monitoring, implementation and evaluation of the EUSAIR's programmes and measures.
Download — EESC opinion: EU strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR)
An EU maritime security strategy would facilitate a strategic, cross-sectoral approach to maritime security, without seeking to create new structures, programmes or legislation, but instead striving to build upon and strengthen existing achievements, at the same time ensuring consistency with existing EU policies.
The EESC welcomes the Green Paper, because of the contribution that mHealth can make to European healthcare systems, which are facing increasing challenges as a result of demographic change.
The Committee considers that the priority must be to improve healthcare, not to cut costs. The success of mHealth requires the participation of healthcare professionals, dialogue with patient organisations, the promotion of mutual trust between patients and professionals and the provision of incentives and training plans for the latter. Dialogue also needs to be established with industry in this field.
Download — EU framework on "mHealth" and "health and wellbeing applications"
Undeclared work undermines the ideals of legality, security, solidarity and is a threat to social and tax justice, free market competition and free movement of workers in the EU. The EESC welcomes the establishment of a European platform to help EU countries prevent and deter this phenomenon and calls on to the new Commission to facilitate the adoption of a common strategy to this end.
Download — EESC opinion: Undeclared work / European Platform
The European Parliament has requested EESC's opinion on the structure and organisation of the social dialogue in the EMU. Social dialogue is and must remain an inherent part of EU's growth and employment policies, notably in measures to fight the crisis. Economic governance and social integration are both integral parts of creating growth and jobs. Social dialogue can play a decisive role to guarantee sustainable economic and social recovery in all EU countries, help generating high-quality jobs and succeed in economic and social reforms.
Download — EESC opinion: Social dialogue in the context of the EMU
The EESC stresses that occupational pension schemes, created as a result of decisions by the social partners, can play a very important role in ensuring that employees have additional pension provision. The EESC disagrees with the approach to IORPs purely as financial market institutions, which fails to acknowledge their important social function. A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right way of achieving the Commission's objectives given the numerous differences between pension schemes in Member States.
Download — EESC opinion: Review of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Pensions Directive
The EESC has frequently noted the importance of broadband access and acknowledges the progress made in increasing its share in the EU.
But the Committee is deeply worried about the persisting digital divide between EU citizens. This gap is not closing for reasons relating to factors including education, age, the high price of IT, the fact that most information is in English, and differences between rural, urban and island regions.
The digital society must not be an additional cause for exclusion. The EESC particularly wants to see EU-wide measures to ensure that people with disabilities have access and enjoy equal conditions in relation to new technologies.
Download — Digital society: access, education, training, employment, tools for equality
The Communication of the Commission presents an EU Quality Framework for Anticipation of Change and Restructuring (QFR). It follows on from the Green Paper ‘Restructuring and anticipation of change: what lessons from recent experience’ of 17 January 2012 and the request made by the European Parliament on 15 January 2013 in its Resolution on information and consultation of workers, anticipation and management of restructuring based on Article 225 of the TFEU (known as the Cercas Report).
This own-initiative opinion will draw upon the first-hand experiences of the non-state actors (civil society, business and trade unions) engaged in the accession negotiations between Croatia and the EU over the period 2005-11, as well as experiences of EESC members who have been engaged in the work of Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs) with accession countries over the past seven years (Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and Montenegro) as well as the Western Balkans Follow-up Committee.
Download — Enhancing the transparency and inclusiveness of the EU accession process
The EESC welcomes the new EU Forest Strategy. Against the backdrop of growing demands on and threats to forests, as well as many EU sectoral policies and associated rules affecting forestry and forests, the new strategy is sorely needed. The EESC therefore urges both the Commission and the Member States to ensure that the strategy is effectively and efficiently implemented.
