Comité Económico e Social Europeu
Water is a vital but an increasingly scarce resource. As the global population grows, so does the demand for water. The problem is global, but also concerns our continent: in summer 2022 Europe saw the most severe droughts in 500 years. Almost two thirds of European citizens consider water quality and/or quantity in their country to be a serious problem. Climate change will further affect the availability, quality and quantity of water. …
The conference, co-organised by the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Commission will take place in Brussels on 8 November 2023. It will be held in the framework of the current European Year of Skills.
The European Economic and Social Committee is organising a major conference on Rare diseases and European reference networks under the auspices of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council and in cooperation with the authorities of the Basque Country. It will take place on 10-11 October 2023 in the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao, Spain.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has looked into the advantages of modern industrial wooden construction at the request of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The EESC adopted an exploratory opinion focusing on how EU proposals such as sustainable carbon cycles, the bioeconomy strategy and the New European Bauhaus can be used to drastically reduce the huge amounts of construction-related CO2 emissions, store CO2 and make construction more efficient.
On 27 February 2023, a high-level hearing on water policies and challenges, entitled Time for a Blue Deal, will take place at the EESC. The hearing sets the scene for the EESC's cross-cutting work on water in 2023.
The hearing will focus on the most pressing water-related challenges now and in the years to come, and on what is the state of play regarding existing policies and actions. The discussions of the hearing will feed into the content of a package of own-initiative opinions on this thematic.
On 13 February 2023 the Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted an online public hearing in the context of its ongoing exploratory opinion at the request of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU on Wooden construction for CO2 reduction in building sector. The opinion is focusing on the following issues: How can the EU proposals such as Sustainable carbon cycles, the EU's bioeconomy strategy and the New European Bauhaus be used to drastically reduce the large construction-related CO2 emissions, store CO2 and make construction more efficient?
The Russian attack on Ukraine has redefined the EU's geopolitical landscape, brought to the surface the EU's vulnerability to unforeseen disruptive events beyond its borders, and highlighted the fact that the EU internal market and its transport network cannot be viewed in isolation when shaping EU policies, including its external relations. The war in Ukraine has also made the need for interoperability with neighbouring countries even more pressing, as the solidarity factor adds to the emergency of achieving a coherent and integrated transport policy, where bottlenecks in cross-border points are tackled and financial instruments are mobilised. ...
Energy poverty exacerbates gender gap worldwide. It is estimated that 70% of 1.3 billion population in developing countries living in poverty are women. Research has shown that women are more likely to fall into energy poverty as they are the main users and producers of household energy, due to economic, biological/physiological and socio-cultural factors. For instance, older women are the most likely to suffer from energy poverty due to a higher life expectancy and lower pensions compared to men. Women are also more likely to be responsible for householding and cooking activities requiring energy sources.
The European Economic and Social Committee and the University of Debrecen, Hungary orgnaised on 15-16 September, 2022 a high-level, prestigious international scientific-professional conference on Co-creation and services of general interest in the field of health and well-being in Debrecen, Hungary.
