Comité Económico e Social Europeu
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In the context of a constantly evolving economic environment and high uncertainty, the ECO section organises a conference to have an open and inclusive debate with policy-makers, civil society representatives and economic researchers to inform and influence the economic policy debates at EU and national levels.
This joint high-level event focused on topical questions such as the challenges faced by Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to successfully adjust to the climate neutral and digitalised world. It has also analysed the possible avenues to help MSMEs to be well informed and prepared to grasp the opportunities of the transition to climate neutrality, coupling it with the possibilities offered by the digitalisation and hedging the current geopolitical risks.
A proposed review of EU banking rules aims at ensuring that EU banks become more resilient to potential future economic shocks, while contributing to Europe's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to climate neutrality. The public hearing will provide the views of institutional and civil society stakeholders, and will help form the policy recommendations the EESC is drawing up on the legislative proposals currently under discussion.
The integrity of the Single Market came under heavy pressure during the pandemic. The vast restrictions that Member States imposed at their borders lead to a patchwork of rules, the disruption of value chains and ultimately added to the severe challenges businesses were facing in the COVID19 pandemic. Now that the vaccination rollout is picking up speed, it is time to take a step back to evaluate how the crisis impacted the Single Market and how it can be a powerful resource for a stable economic recovery. The need for a coordinated EU approach will be discussed as well as the impact initiatives, such as the Digital Green Certificate, can have on the economic recovery.
The European Standardisation System must become as inclusive as possible, to involve a wide range of participants (representative of businesses of all sizes, consumers and societal stakeholders such as trade unions, environmental NGOs, etc.) and develop close cooperation among partners (European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs), National Standardisation Bodies (NSBs) and public authorities at the European and national levels).
The conference aims to elaborate the role of the openness of the economy and society in building a business-friendly and strong EU. The timing of the conference, coinciding with the start of the new mandate of the European Commission and the European Parliament, would make it possible to convey a strong business message to policy-makers both at the EU and national levels. The conference also provides the participants with an opportunity to discuss and exchange views on the topics in question with a wide range of stakeholders.
As productivity continues to increase, providing highly-specialised and certified-quality products becomes ever more important for boosting economic well-being, more so than mass low-cost production. Moreover, the increasing focus on the integrated use-value of products and services now offsets the emphasis on the exchange value - the price.
This development is particularly advantageous for European producers: our competitiveness relies on our ability to provide diverse, specialised products, rather than on competing on price against regions with more extended economies of scale.
The European Economic and Social Committee is organizing a hearing as part of its follow-up work on its opinion on ''A European retail sector fit for the 21st century'', which was adopted in December 2018.
The event will take place on 26 September 2019 in Brussels. It is part of a series of follow-up hearings to be held in several EU Member States.
The main objective of the hearing will be to discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of EU retail policies and to collect valuable input and feedback from Belgian stakeholders on the issue in order to find ways to improve these policies. Particular emphasis will be placed on the recommendations presented in the EESC opinion with a view to their implementation at national level.
The European Economic and Social Committee is organizing a hearing as part of its follow-up work on its opinion on ''A European retail sector fit for the 21st century'', which was adopted in December 2018. The event will take place on 27 June 2019. It is part of a series of follow-up hearings to be held in several EU Member States.
The main objective of the hearing will be to discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of EU retail policies and to collect valuable input and feedback from Polish stakeholders on the issue in order to find ways to improve these policies. Particular emphasis will be placed on the recommendations presented in the EESC opinion with a view to their implementation at national level.
The public hearing on "Towards a more resilient and sustainable European economy with a vision for completing EMU" to be held on Friday, 12 April 2019, starting at 11.30 a.m., will discuss from a wider civil society perspective the future of the European economy and the political initiatives and decisions that need to be taken during the upcoming legislative term and beyond. Taking into account the conclusions of the debate, the EESC will draw up two own-initiative opinions, entitled "Towards a more resilient and sustainable European economy" and "A new vision for completing the Economic and Monetary Union", to be forwarded to the new European Parliament and European Commission.
