The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
In a visionary call for transformative change, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), at its latest plenary session, adoptedan own-initiative opinion emphasising the pivotal role of young people in shaping the sustainable future of rural areas across Europe.
In its capacity as the home of civil society, the EESC welcomed participants from several developing countries to the 2023 Civil Society Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development. Joined by high-level representatives from the EU, the ILO and UNCTAD, civil society speakers openly discussed existing policies and new initiatives, called for a truly inclusive approach and proposed concrete solutions to make trade a driving force for the Just Transition.
The EESC is calling for the scope of the Commission proposal for a European Disability Card to be expanded to cover longer stays for work and study, with the goal of fully achieving freedom of movement of persons with disabilities in the EU
The EU should promote climate diplomacy as a flagship policy in its external action, stressed the European Economic and Social Committee in its opinion adopted in the December plenary. A robust and credible strategic plan is needed to adjust its climate diplomacy to the current geopolitical landscape and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
We welcome the provisional agreement on the Artificial Intelligence Act reached by EU lawmakers. The text enshrines into law several crucial recommendations we made in our opinion of September 2021, such as banning social scoring, irrespective of who performs it. As we stressed back then, there is no place in the EU for such practises.
On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we spoke to the EESC's Vice President for Budget, Krzysztof Pater, who authored the 2019 information report on the rights of persons with disabilities to vote in European elections
Some 42% of Europe's older population report that age discrimination is prevalent in their country, with ageism peaking in the workplace. As the proportion of people over 65 is set to steadily rise in the coming decades, the EU is in dire need of a comprehensive strategy which will allow for a fundamental change, both in policies and in society's perception of older people
The EESC event "Connecting EU" 2023 seminar dedicated to the upcoming European elections, took place in Bratislava, Slovakia on 23-24 November 2023 and ensured a large presence of women's participation.
In Europe's rural communities, the silent struggle for equality and opportunity for young women is still ongoing. On 22 November, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on gender equality and youth in rural areas during the meeting of its Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment. The event is in line with the EESC's commitment to the Rural Pact and the European Gender Equality Week.