Comité Económico e Social Europeu
On 15–16 June the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) officially joined the Rural Pact community during the first Rural Pact Conference. The EESC, as one of the organisers of the conference, participated in different panels to promote the application of a truly holistic approach to sustainable rural/urban development.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) supports the key messages of the European Commission's Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles in an opinion adopted at its May plenary, and believes that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must provide a strategic framework paving the way for a low-carbon transition in agriculture.
An interview with Antje GERSTEIN, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) from the Employers' Group (Group I) since 2000. She is the managing director for European Policy/Sustainability at the German Retail Federation (HDE). Currently a member of the NAT and INT sections, she is also involved in the EESC activities fostering the role of young people in climate and sustainability-related decision-making.
To achieve the objectives of a green and just transition, the European Union needs not only to implement the components of the Green Deal but also to step up a gear on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through EU policies.
An interview with Nicoletta MERLO, one of the youngest members of the EESC. She is National Head of Youth Policies for CISL, one of the largest Italian trade union confederations, and represents her confederation on the Italian National Youth Council. In 2017 she started a European experience in the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which led her to be elected, in 2019, as a member of the Bureau of the ETUC Youth Committee.
On 14 March, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) and the Global Competition Law Centre of the College of Europe organised an online conference on Competition Policy and Social Sustainability to continue the debate on how joint sustainability initiatives can be compatible with competition law.
This year – 2022 – the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will be co-organising the first-ever EU organic awards, together with the European Commission, European Committee of the Regions (CoR), COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe, aimed at recognising excellence and rewarding the best and most innovative players in the EU organic value chain.
An interview with Florian MARIN, member of the NAT section of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) from the workers' group (GR-II) since 2020. He represents the Federation of Free Trade Union in Romania, of which he's the president. His work focuses, among others, on topics such as rural and sustainable development, sustainable food systems, circular economy and deforestation.
At its plenary session on 24 February, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) presented its opinion entitled 'Fit for 55': delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality. The EESC has put forward concrete proposals to help accelerate the energy transition so as to enable the EU to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
Today, as a true pan-European collaborative venture, the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe are together launching the first ever EU organic awards. These awards will recognise excellence along the organic value chain, rewarding the best and most innovative actors in organic production in the EU. Applications will be open from 25 March until 8 June 2022.
