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.
Join us at the European Economic and Social Committee's March plenary in Brussels on March 20-21, 2024, where the 2024 EU elections will be at the forefront of discussions. Featuring key debates on topics such as the future of the Single Market, insights into the 2024 European Elections through a Civil Society Lens, discussions on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and crafting a strong social strategic agenda for Europe.
During its February plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) took a firm stance in favour of creating a better business environment for Europe’s SMEs: EU legislation must “think small first” and cut superfluous red tape.
In a joint response to the European Commission's postponement of the Water Resilience Initiative, representatives of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the MEP Water Group of the European Parliament (EP) and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) have sent an open letter to Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, asking the Commission to adopt a comprehensive approach to water and reiterating their call for an EU Blue Deal.
On 7 March, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will award its 14th Civil Society Prize, dedicated to mental health, to five non-profit projects: two from Finland and one each from Italy, Ireland and Slovakia.
With geopolitical tensions rising and global economic ties and dependencies posing an array of severe risks to open economies, Europe needs to address its economic security. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the proposal put forward by the Commission for a European Economic Security Strategy. However, the EESC underlines that the EU needs to strengthen its competitiveness, ensuring a well-functioning, more complete single market. At the same time, the Committee calls for EU businesses and other relevant civil society players to be involved in further developing and implementing this strategy.
Microplastic pollution has emerged as a critical environmental concern, with its detrimental impact reaching far and wide across ecosystems and human health. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) acknowledges the urgency of addressing the issue and supports the European Commission’s proposal to regulate microplastic pellet operations and emissions.
Article by Antonello Pezzini, Delegate of the EESC Consultative Commission on Industrial Change
Last January, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton reiterated the need to consolidate an internal defence market to ensure our security. ‘We started with munitions for Ukraine’, he stated. ‘We now need to broaden this approach to include a large-scale European defence industrial programme capable of supporting the expansion of the European industrial base and developing the infrastructure needed to protect contested areas’.
The European Economic and Social Committee has had the opportunity to reiterate, on numerous occasions, the need to support the launch of a European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) aimed at creating an interoperable and integrated common defence system.
A group of TEN Section members was sent in a study visit to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) on 1 February 2024. A very fruitful and interesting discussion took place on the EESC opinions on the Maritime Safety Package adopted in September 2023, the decarbonization of maritime transport, and working conditions of seafarers.