Comité Económico e Social Europeu
A UE, os EUA e o Canadá têm em comum os valores da democracia, dos direitos humanos e da liberdade económica e política, e partilham das mesmas preocupações em matéria de política externa e de segurança. Os EUA e o Canadá estão entre os principais parceiros comerciais da UE e são também parceiros na definição da ordem jurídica internacional. As relações transatlânticas desenrolam-se atualmente num novo ambiente e deparam-se com desafios crescentes. O CESE considera que a participação da sociedade civil nesta relação é garante de que as relações transatlânticas respondem às expectativas do público, contribuindo de forma eficaz para uma cooperação mutuamente benéfica.
O Acordo Económico e Comercial Global UE-Canadá (CETA) e o Acordo de Parceria Estratégica foram assinados em 30 de outubro de 2016. O objetivo é procurar a constante participação da sociedade civil na aplicação destes acordos. As negociações sobre uma Parceria Transatlântica de Comércio e Investimento (PTCI) entre os EUA e a UE estão atualmente numa situação de impasse. No entanto, as negociações da PTCI contribuíram para reforçar os laços entre a sociedade civil da UE e dos EUA e definir as posições da sociedade civil sobre a forma que a futura relação comercial entre a UE e os EUA deve assumir. Estes progressos não se devem desperdiçar. O Comité de Acompanhamento para as Relações Transatlânticas foi criado em setembro de 2014 com o mandato de acompanhar as relações transatlânticas com a sociedade civil e realizar um diálogo e consultas regulares sobre questões atinentes às relações com os EUA e o Canadá.
The role of trade as a generator of growth and jobs is undeniable, but public perception of the further liberalisation of trade is getting worse and citizens' concerns must be addressed far more effectively than before. This was one of the conclusions of the conference on "Strengthening European Growth and Competitiveness: Proactive Trade Agenda – NOW!" that took place in Helsinki on 26 October.
The role of trade as a generator of growth and jobs is undeniable, but public perception of the further liberalisation of trade is getting worse and citizens' concerns must be addressed far more effectively than before. This was one of the conclusions of the conference on "Strengthening European Growth and Competitiveness: Proactive Trade Agenda – NOW!" that took place in Helsinki on 26 October. Jacek Krawczyk, President of the EESC Employers' Group, added: It is our responsibility to advocate for trade; we cannot take it for granted that people understand what the benefits ...
With discussions for TTIP now at a critical point, the EESC has published a new opinion, ‘The position of the EESC on specific key issues of the TTIP negotiations’. The own-initiative opinion assesses some key issues of the negotiations and identifies the main considerations for European civil society. This new ...
At its July plenary, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) argued that the new Trade and Technology Council (TTC) can become an innovative tool for both the EU and USA to work together towards a safer and more prosperous world, based on the principles of sustainable development and democratic values.
The Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) under the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) met again for the first time in person since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic on 24 April 2023. The meeting was held in a great spirit and with renewed enthusiasm for cooperation between the joint DAGs. During the meeting Members took stock of the work of the respective DAGs since the 2022 joint online meeting, and identified opportunities for fruitful cooperation on joint priorities. The Joint statement was adopted on 20 June.
The meeting of the European Economic and Social Committee's (EESC) External Relations Section on Transatlantic relations will take place on 17 November 2021 from 10h30- 17h00. It will be presided and moderated by the President of the External Relations Section, Mr. Dimitris Dimitriadis.
The EESC Employers' Group is organising a seminar on "Strengthening European Growth and Competitiveness: Proactive Trade Agenda – NOW!" taking place on 26 October in Helsinki and jointly organized with the Confederation of Finnish Industries and the International Chamber of Commerce, ICC Finland.
Trade and Investment are hugely important for the EU: 1 in 7 EU jobs depend on exports. The EU cannot risk falling behind in the global race to build a wide and ambitious network of free trade agreements. The signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement (involving 12 countries and 40% of world GDP) is a timely reminder of this. This seminar, which will be attended by many of our Members together with Finnish employers and entrepreneurs, politicians and academics aims to examine how to best contribute positively to the debate as trade agreements (TTIP - TISA - CETA - EU-JAPAN) increasingly become a top political issue.
In the light of the ongoing EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is drafting an own-initiative opinion on "The position of the EESC on specific key issues of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations". In this framework, the EESC is organising a public hearing, to be held at the Committee premises on 30 June 2016, beginning at 9 a.m.
The External Relations Section (REX) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is responsible for dialogue between European civil society organisations and their homologues from the countries with which the European Union has formal relations (e.g. under the form of a Free Trade Agreement). Through this dialogue, made possible by a series of bilateral bodies, and through specialized opinions and information reports, the Committee is able to concretely contribute to EU foreign policy.
In my capacity as President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), I extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Joe Biden for his election as the 46th President of the United States of America, as well as to Ms. Kamala Harris as Vice-President.
