Comité Económico e Social Europeu
An interview with Cillian Lohan: His leading role in the field of Circular Economy, his work on Youth Climate and Sustainability Round Tables, and the importance of giving space to voices, such as those of youth, that usually do not have the resources or connections to reach the decision-makers in Brussels.
On Tuesday 24 January, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held an exchange of views with Guillaume Lafortune, Vice-President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN), on the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The debate revealed that the EU is failing to meet the objectives of the UN's 2030 Agenda. Yet, there is hope. The EU has the opportunity to take the lead, including through financial support. The EESC plays an important role in monitoring progress.
Transforming societies from fossil-fuel based to circular and sustainable will require far-reaching changes in all sectors, including education. In an own-initiative opinion, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for transformative education that empowers young people to contribute to the green transition.
The global food price crisis has only been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. It is actually due to more structural and systemic problems in the commodities market, creating hunger and threatening people's livelihoods, points out the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in its own initiative opinion.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on Gender Equality and Women's and Girls' empowerment in the context of Food Security and Nutrition. In light of the climate crisis, and in the context of the recent COP27, the EESC has identified the intersection between gender and climate change as a top priority for the EU. The debate is an important contribution to the ongoing EESC initiative on gender equality.
In an own-initiative opinion, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) highlighted the many benefits of a green EU strategy for expanding plant protein and plant oil production and proposed how that strategy should look. These benefits include reducing the EU’s dependence on imports and a contribution to the development of rural areas.
The EESC is currently gathering inputs and views of diverse European actors working on the agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Civil society organisations who want to share their views on the EU’s internal and external implementation of the SDGs, are invited to submit their contribution via the online consultation.
An interview with Tatjana BABRAUSKIENĖ, Head of International Relations at the Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union. Currently a member of the NAT, SOC and REX sections, she's very active in education and its link to sustainable development.
An extraordinary NAT Bureau meeting took place in France, Rouen, on 8-9 September 2022, upon the initiative of Mr Arnold Puech d'Alissac (Member of the Group of Employers). The aim was to explore the French approach on carbon-farming as a follow-up of the EESC opinion on sustainable carbon cycles, as well as the agricultural assets of the Normandy region.
