Comité Económico e Social Europeu
The European Union is the world's biggest producer of beet sugar and the principal importer of raw cane sugar for refining. EU sugar policy today is supported by three pillars: production quotas, a sugar reference threshold and trade measures (border protection). Production quotas will cease to exist as of 1 October 2017, which means that one of these pillars will fall. Another pillar – border protection – is looking increasingly shaky.
The European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee held a joint workshop on "the impact of digitalisation and new technologies on social economy". The workshop was was be organized around 4 panels. This joint event's purpose was to contribute to the work of the permanent study group on "Social Economy Enterprises", but also to strengthen synergies between the EESC and the Commission in promoting the social economy agenda.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is pleased to announce that a Public hearing on the Application of State aid rules for compensating the provision of services of general economic interest will be held on 10 May 2017 from 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the headquarters of the EESC, 2 rue Van Maerlant - 1040 Brussels, Room VMA 3.
The main objective of the hearing is to brainstorm on the challenges and opportunities arising from the current State Aid rules for services of general economic interest.
The event will be divided into two separate parts: the first panel will tackle issues of the immediuate present, the question of "Challenges and opportunities of energy transition, alleviating the economic and social impact of declining coal". It deals with the direct consequences of the energy transition, of declining coal. The challenges also include the impact of closures of nuclear power plants.
The second panel will deal with the future and how decentralised renewables can revive coal-mining regions.
The agenda was compiled in close cooperation with the TEN section, and other section presidents were also informed and invited.
The hearing is part of the preparation of an own-initiative opinion by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) aiming at shedding some light to major aspects and challenges in relation with this topic. The final Opinion will be transmitted to the European Institutions for consideration.
On 6 February 2017, the European Economic and Social Committee will be organising a hearing as part of its preparatory work in order to issue its own-initiative opinion on The effectiveness of EU policies for SMEs.
The main objective of the hearing will be to debate the effectiveness and efficiency of the EU policies for SMEs, to find the ways in which they can be improved and to outline the opportunities and challenges for the future.
All the issues will be addressed by high-level speakers from different institutions, and social organisations and stakeholders from across the EU will have the opportunity to exchange their views.
The round-table is organized by the EESC's Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) in partnership with the European Commission as well as with relevant European – Euromines, IndustriAll Europe – and national organisations.
The EESC-ILO Conference on the Future of Work will be held in the framework of the global consultation called for by the ILO. Organised jointly with the EESC, the event will serve to identify the key challenges and opportunities related to the Future of Work in the EU context. In debating with EESC members, this event aims at providing input for future initiatives by the EESC as well as contributing to the ILO global initiative on the Future of Work. Drawing on the work of the ILO and the EESC, this Conference will ultimately strengthen the solid and long standing cooperation between the two institutions which share a number of values and principles.
This High-Level conference is part of the ILO global initiative on the Future of Work built upon the views of social partners and civil society.
The European Economic and Social Committee, the International Confederation of Popular Banks, the European Association of Co-operative Banks, the UNICO Banking Group, and the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises will organize the conference “Co-operative Banks and innovation in SME Financing” in Brussels on 9 November 2016.
The conference will bring to the forefront the raise of technology players in financial services. The focus will be on the SMEs' financing and on the interaction between these new players and the cooperative and popular banks.
The round-table is organized by the EESC's Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) in partnership with the European Commission as well as with relevant European – Euromines, Euracoal, IndustriAll Europe – and national organisations.
