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.
The EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) will hold its 17th meeting on 5 April 2024 at the EESC in Brussels, Belgium. It is a platform established within the institutional framework of the EU‑Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), enabling representatives of both the EU and the Serbian civil society to monitor the country's accession negotiations, discuss issues of common interest and point out concerns to be tackled on the Serbian path towards the European Union.
Main topics of the 17th meeting of the EU-Serbia JCC will be:
Current state of play in EU-Serbia relations and the accession process
Elections in Serbia
Possibilities of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans in Serbia
The EESC organised its 9th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum in Holiday Inn Hotel Thessaloniki Monastiriou 8, Thessaloniki 546 29, Greece on 19 and 20 October 2023.
HOTEL INTERNATIONAL PRISHTINA, RR. SHKUPI, VETERNIK
Pristina, KOSOVO
This years' meeting of the EESC's Western Balkans Follow-up Committee outside of Brussels took place on 29 March 2023 in Pristina, Kosovo, and it included a hearing with the local civil society organisations (CSOs).
The goal of the hearing was to listen to the views on the role of civil society in Kosovo as well as to hear their concerns, and to convey these messages to the political authorities of Kosovo and of the EU.
The following topics were discussed at the hearing:
2023 European Year of Skills: skills, education and youth policy in Kosovo
State of social dialogue in Kosovo
Enabling civic space in Kosovo
@EESC_REX #EESC_WB
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
The EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) held its 15th meeting on 21 April 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. It is a platform established within the institutional framework of the EU‑Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), enabling representatives of both the EU and the Serbian civil society to monitor the country's accession negotiations, discuss issues of common interest and point out concerns to be tackled on the Serbian path towards the European Union.
For the 16th time, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Montenegro held the Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC). The JCC is a civil society platform established between the EESC and Montenegrin civil society. It complements with a civil society point of view the EU institutional framework related to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Montenegro. This joint institution allows civil society organisations on both sides to monitor the country's accession negotiations. It is also a platform to discuss issues of common interest and to inform the public at large on the challenges ahead during the accession period.
This 16th JCC took place in Podgorica and tackled issues such as:
Current state of play in EU-Montenegro relations, including 2022 Montenegro Report
Revised enlargement methodology – Cluster 1: The Fundamentals of the Accession Process, with a special focus on Judiciary and Fundamental rights and the Functioning of democratic institutions
Revised enlargement methodology – Cluster 1: The Fundamentals of the Accession Process, with a special focus on Justice, Freedom and Security
Overview of the civil society situation in Montenegro
A joint declaration was adopted at the meeting and will be distributed to all relevant EU institutions, as well as to the Montenegrin authorities.
The EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) will hold its 14th meeting on 29 November 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a platform established within the institutional framework of the EU‑Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), enabling representatives of both the EU and the Serbian civil society to monitor the country's accession negotiations, discuss issues of common interest and point out concerns to be tackled on the Serbian path towards the European Union.
The Western Balkans Civil Society High-Level Conference brought together EESC members, civil society representatives from the countries of the Western Balkans, as well as Czech officials and members of organised civil society. The conference complemented the work the EESC has already been undertaking by organising the Western Balkans Civil Society Forum every two years since 2006.
The main topics on the agenda were:
European path for the Western Balkans: Roadmap towards clear accession perspective and the role of young people
Contribution of civil society to youth policy in the Western Balkans: challenges and opportunities in building a better future for the Western Balkans and amplifying the voice of young people from the Western Balkans
Human capital development in the Western Balkans
Youth employment challenges in the Western Balkans
Young people in the Western Balkans as an important force in regional cooperation and promoting European integration
Hearing with Civil Society from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Skenderija 3a
Sarajevo
Bosnia & Herzegovina
This years' meeting of the EESC's Western Balkans Follow-up Committee outside of Brussels took place on 24 May 2022 in the Delegation of the European Union in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and included a hearing with the civil society organisations (CSOs).
For the 15th time, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Montenegro held the Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC). It took place in Brussels and tackled issues such as: Current state of play in EU-Montenegro relations including 2021 Montenegro Report / Revised enlargement methodology – Cluster 1: The Fundamentals of the Accession Process, with a special focus on Economic Criteria, Public procurement, Statistics and Financial Control and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic / Overview of the civil society situation in Montenegro.
A joint declaration was adopted at the meeting and distributed to all relevant EU institutions, as well as to the Montenegrin authorities.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia
Resavska 13 – 15
Belgrade
Serbia
It is a platform established within the institutional framework of the EU‑Serbia Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), enabling representatives of both the EU and the Serbian civil society to monitor the country's accession negotiations, discuss issues of common interest and point out concerns to be tackled on the Serbian path towards the European Union.