At its December plenary, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted an own-initiative opinion on how resources and energy-intensive industries (REIIs) can take advantage of the EU recovery plan in their socially acceptable transition towards de-carbonisation and digitalisation. The EESC encourages the Commission and the other EU institutions to guarantee a level playing-field within the single market, in order to avoid unbalanced advantages to industry depending on each Member State's approach.
To promote volunteering, the EU should create a European Year of Volunteers in 2025, reach out to older volunteers and collect data on this activity which is of precious value for Europe's future, says the EESC
In a newly adopted opinion, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) recognises the European Commission's determination to fight disinformation. However, it calls for more to be done to target the people and organisations that are at the source of it, prioritising prevention rather than cure.
The conference on the Geopolitics of the Green Deal, held by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) together with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network(SDSN), highlighted the wide-ranging geopolitical implications of the Green Deal both for Europe and the world as a whole. The EESC is ready to play its part in this process, ensuring a clear civil society's ownership of the European Green Deal (EGD).
At its December plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Commission highlighted three top priorities to ensure a resilient and sustainable future for the European Union.
The 51st Western Balkans Follow-up Committee meeting, held on 3 December 2021, placed conflict resolution and normalisation of relations between Kosovo* and Serbia in the spotlight. The meeting, presided by Ionuţ Sibian, hosted prominent speakers from the ranks of EU officials, Western Balkans experts, as well as civil society representatives from the local communities, all of whom agreed that EU-facilitated dialogue was the only way to move forward.
With less than half of Europeans in possession of basic digital skills, the EU will need a skills revolution to enable a smooth transition to a digital and green economy and – more importantly – to ensure that no-one is left behind
In the 23rd hybrid meeting of the EU Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) under the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which was the first EU DAG meeting after the Civil Society Forum with the Korean counterparts, all participants underlined the importance of the ratification of three fundamental ILO conventions by the Republic of Korea in April 2021. This ratification by the Korean government sends an important message to the other countries of the Asian region, providing a strong incentive for them to ratify the ILO core conventions at an early stage of their engagement in FTA negotiations with the EU.
The EU and Member States must do more to promote the legal capacity of all persons with disabilities (PWD) to guarantee their fundamental rights. Governments must support autonomous decision-making and reject the regressive protocol to the Oviedo Convention
The pandemic has made it even more urgent to address the new challenges for health and safety at work. Enhanced social dialogue is required to guarantee better standards in teleworking and, more generally, in the digital environment
