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.
Climate change mitigation and cross-sectoral climate issues were the focus of the thematic debate held as part of the TEN section's monthly meeting on 22 November 2017. Civil society organisations should have a central role in the negotiation and implementation of UN climate change agreements, highlighted the EESC members taking part in recent COP meetings on climate change.
The successful integration of third-country nationals into the European Union's labour markets should be seen as a real opportunity for society as a whole, and the measures taken in this regard could be used to create better opportunities for all citizens and especially for other disadvantaged groups such as minorities and the long-term unemployed, revealed a conference held this month at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
The EESC PresidentGeorges Dassis visited the Bulgarian Economic and Social Council (ESC) in Sofia. He met with the members of the Plenary Session of the ESC and talked to them about the priorities of Europe and the upcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform (CSP) held its 5th meeting in Kyiv on 15 November. In its final declaration, the members welcomed the full entry into force of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement as of September 2017, and called upon the EU and the Ukrainian government to ensure its complete and timely implementation.
The Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU would work for a stable, secure and solidarity-based Europe. Each measure would be guided by the principle of unity and solidarity amongst Member States, said the Bulgarian Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Biser Petkov, during a debate in Sofia with members of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The discussion focused on the priorities of the future Bulgarian presidency. There would be three main overarching themes of the presidency: consensus, competitiveness and cohesion, added Mr Petkov.
EESC calls for flexible and effective support programmes from the Commission and Member States
Better rural development is possible, and local people are willing to deliver, but they need a support. EU and national authorities need to empower villages and small towns with new programmes that are flexible enough to be adapted to the diverse needs of Europe's rural areas. Positive examples should be promoted – for instance through a yearly celebratory day – in order to encourage other communities. With its opinion "Villages and small towns as catalysts for rural development", adopted at its last plenary session, the EESC wants to contribute to a revitalisation of Europe's rural areas.
2018 will be the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH), and the European Economic and Social Committee will invite pupils from all over Europe to Brussels in order to get their opinion on the best way to engage European youth in the protection and promotion of our common cultural heritage. The Committee is also interested in the pupils’ fresh views on the relationship between culture, democracy and peace.
The EESC, as the voice of civil society, is eager to ensure that the ideas of Europe’s younger generation are heard.