Európsky hospodársky a sociálny výbor
The conference originally planned for 12 March 2020, rescheduled for 2 July and next for 26 November 2020, is now being again rescheduled. The organisers are now planning to hold the event on 17 June 2021. (Read more...)
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has proved to be an endurance test for human and social rights, democratic values, the rule of law and economic resilience in the EU. While navigating stormy waters, organised civil society is playing a key role in coping with the countless pandemic-related challenges at European, national, regional and local level.
In the process of building a more sustainable and resilient economy after the economic shock caused by Covid-19, it is crucially important to redirect investment flows. When making investment decisions, we have to increasingly take due account of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, alongside the calculations on financial returns.
On 17 February 2021, the European Economic and Social Committee is organising a hearing in the framework of its exploratory opinion requested by the Portuguese presidency on The role of social economy in the creation of jobs and in the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Equality and non-discrimination are fundamental rights and core values in the EU, enshrined in its Treaties and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. "Equal opportunities" is also the first chapter of the European Pillar of Social Rights. However, the Council of the EU continues to block the 2008 Commission proposal for an Equal Treatment Directive, which covers discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Having requested a referral to produce an opinion on this strategy, the EESC is starting by organising a remote public hearing on Thursday 11 February 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m. to evaluate how the LGBTIQ community continues to be discriminated against and to collect views on how to effectively tackle such discrimination – not only across all EU policies and funding programmes, but also at all other levels and in all domains. Only a cross-cutting approach will solve this problem.
#UnionOfEquality
#LGBTIQStrategy
557th Plenary session, with the following guests: António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affair, Michel Barnier , Head of the European Commission's Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom and Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. You will be able to follow the debates by web streaming.
Europe is facing the greatest crisis in decades, in terms of public health, but also in economic and social ones. Overcoming it will only be possible with a strong social agenda.
The EU-Chile Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held its sixth meeting on 21 January 2021.
The members of the JCC reiterated the need to maintain the Joint Consultative Committee in the Chile-UE Association Agreement currently renegotiated, so that the JCC can express its views on any subject covered by the Agreement, including trade.
As part of its work to prepare an opinion on 'Telework and gender equality', the SOC Section of the EESC is organising a virtual public hearing on Monday 15 January 2021, from 10:30 a.m. to 13:00 p.m.
A selection of stakeholders from all levels (institutions, agencies, social partners and civil society organisations) will be invited to share their concrete reflexions and recommendations on this vast subject. This includes for instance the factors and considerations for taking up telework, how to secure work-life balance while teleworking, ways to ensure gender equality throughout these processes and any other matters they believe to be of relevance in this context.
#WLB
#genderequality
The EESC EU-Japan Follow-up Committee will meet in the morning of 7 January 2021. It will discuss various aspects of EU-Japan relations and set its work programme for the first half of the new mandate.
