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.
Gabi Bischoff visited Armut und Gesundheit in Deutschland e.V. in Mainz
"We have an army of committed people in our civil society. These people deserve our appreciation and they also need the necessary political support." So said Gabi Bischoff, President of the Workers’ Group at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), on her 22 July visit to "Verein Armut und Gesundheit in Deutschland", which is dedicated to providing medical treatment to the poor and socially disadvantaged. The EESC has made combating poverty and social exclusion one of its priorities under the current presidency, in order to further social, economic and territorial cohesion in Europe. It has already drafted a number of opinions on the subject, including a proposal for a European minimum income and fairer taxation policy.
How are new forms of employment impacting workers? Is the total flexibility of workers and labour market desirable? Will the sharing economy be putting an end to Europe's social protection systems?
More than 122 million people in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion[1]
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted an opinion urging the EU Council to stick to its commitment to get at least 20 million people out of poverty by 2020. The EESC adopted its opinion on fighting poverty (Rapporteur: Seamus Boland, Co-Rapporteur: Marjolijn Bulk), requested by the Dutch Presidency of the Council, during its plenary session on 18 February 2016. To achieve the EU's target, Member States need to launch their own national strategies to fight poverty, social exclusion and discrimination, supported by a common European framework. These strategies should focus on adequate income support, inclusive labour markets, quality jobs, equal access to affordable high quality services for all, including migrants and people granted asylum.
More than 120 million people in the EU face the risk of poverty or social exclusion[1]
Grassroots organisations working to alleviate poverty in Germany, Ireland, France, Poland and Finland show the way in providing direct assistance to those in need. The European Economic and Social Committee has dedicated the 2015 European Civil Society Prize to organisations distinguishing themselves through their creativity and success in combatting poverty.
Poverty and social exclusion includes many multi-faceted challenges such as housing, health, education, access to employment, indebtedness and addiction, to name but a few. Civil society organisations across the European Union are actively addressing these issues. Activities often focus on local needs and – crucially – directly involve people experiencing poverty themselves in their implementation.
As part of its work to prepare an opinion on "Access to water: tackling water poverty and its implication on social policy", the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a hybrid public hearing on 13 April 2023 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The thematic debate of the Group will see the participation of Marina Elvira Calderone, Minister for Labour and Social Policies of Italy, Marie Toussaint, MEP and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's Intergroup on "Fighting against poverty", and several representatives of civil society organisations.
Energy poverty exacerbates gender gap worldwide. It is estimated that 70% of 1.3 billion population in developing countries living in poverty are women. Research has shown that women are more likely to fall into energy poverty as they are the main users and producers of household energy, due to economic, biological/physiological and socio-cultural factors. For instance, older women are the most likely to suffer from energy poverty due to a higher life expectancy and lower pensions compared to men. Women are also more likely to be responsible for householding and cooking activities requiring energy sources.
The EESC is organising a hybrid conference entitled "Towards an EU framework against homelessness based on the principle of 'Housing First'" on 7 October 2022 (9h30 to 13h00).
The aim of the conference will be to reflect on how the EU, national, regional and local authorities, as well as organised civil society, can join forces to identify practical steps to be taken to eradicate homelessness in the EU.
challenges from an economic and social perspective
Rue Belliard 99, 1040
Brussels
Belgium
As part of its work to prepare an opinion on "Tackling energy poverty and the EU's resilience: challenges from an economic and social perspective'', the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a remote public hearing on 25 May 2022 from 9:30 am to 1 pm.
The discussion will focus on how European organised civil society, together with the EU, national, regional and local authorities, can join forces to fight against energy poverty.