Evropski ekonomsko-socialni odbor
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.
On 17 February 2021, the European Economic and Social Committee has organised 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.
On 16 November 2020, the European Economic and Social Committee is organising an online hearing in the framework of its exploratory opinion requested by the European Parliament on an Industrial transition towards a green and digital European economy: regulatory requirements and the role of social partners and civil society.
The annual Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference, jointly organised by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee, is an opportunity for stakeholders to meet, nurture their networks, share ideas and learn about the new EU policy developments on circular economy. The 2020 edition will be digital with a focus on renewal as we emerge from the COVID pandemic.
On 30 October 2020 the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Parliament are organising a virtual half-day conference on New challenges and opportunities for EU industry during the COVID-19 crisis.
The European Economic and Social Committee is organising the Second edition of the AI Europe stakeholder Summit entitled: White paper on artificial intelligence - What civil society has to say? The Summit will focus particularly on two topics: 1) Use of AI in the workplace and 2) AI-driven biometric recognition systems (including facial recognition).
On 25 March 2020, the EESC and Arizmendiarrieta Foundation are hosting a half-day conference "Towards a new European company model for the 21st century" in Brussels (EESC premises, room VMA3) with a debate focusing on the role of businesses in today's society.
At a time when markets are not working as well as they should, inequalities are rising and the environment is suffering, companies can play a crucial role and change the rules of the game. They can do so by putting people and the planet at the core of their model – that is by going back to the humanistic roots of Europe's culture.
The EESC organised its 4th edition of the European Day of Social Economy Enterprises in Strasbourg, on 27 November. The event which was coorganised by the City of Strasbourg and the Eurometropole, and the French Ministry for an ecological and solidary transition was entitled ''The Social Economy: mobilising cities, regions and civil society. Pact for Impact for the European Union''. The aim of the event was to review the progress made in setting up an ecosystem for social enterprises and to see what are the next steps for this model of enterprise model to be recognized and more widely disseminated.
The aim of the conference was to discuss the opportunities and challenges provided by digitalisation, in particular cutting-edge digital tools, AI and robotics as well as the prerequisites to make this happen. It also addressed expectations for future steps of policy making on the European Level.
The European Standardisation System must become as inclusive as possible, to involve a wide range of participants (representative of businesses of all sizes, consumers and societal stakeholders such as trade unions, environmental NGOs, etc.) and develop close cooperation among partners (European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs), National Standardisation Bodies (NSBs) and public authorities at the European and national levels).
