Europeiska ekonomiska och sociala kommittén
This online public hearing on carbon removal certification aims to take stock of current certification schemes, looking at different methodologies, and discuss what an EU-wide certification framework needs to provide for in practice to make it transparent, reliable and avoid greenwashing.
To prepare its opinion on "Strengthening the role and independence of equality bodies", the European Economic and Social Committee is organising a hybrid public hearing.
Equality bodies combat discrimination at the national level through prevention and assistance to victims. However, their tasks and resources vary significantly across EU countries, resulting in different levels of effectiveness.
The hearing will address how to improve the powers of equality bodies to better fight discrimination, by gathering inputs from institutions, social partners and other civil society organisations.
The hearing will deal with the topic of next year Strategic Foresight Report, as indicated at the end of this year report ("The next annual Strategic Foresight Report will focus on the key upcoming challenges and opportunities that Europe will face in the decades to come, providing strategic insights relevant for strengthening the global role of the EU."), so to offer to the Commission a timely and proactive input aimed to make the all process more participatory and open.
The hearing will focus on the economic and social aspects that could reinforce the role of the EU and notably on what strategic decisions need to be made to ensure a socially and economically sustainable Europe with a stronger role in the world in the coming decades.
More specifically, the hearing will discuss:
The EESC included a youth delegate in its UNFCCC COP delegation for the first time in 2021 and committed to repeating this experience in the years to come. The EESC youth delegate to COP has a mandate of two years and at the end of each mandate a transparent and open selection process is carried out to designate the new delegate. This webinar will provide useful information for applicants.
To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December), the EESC presents the virtual photographic exhibition "Do you know these Sports Women?" The exhibition consists of a series of posters that present sports women from the eight Andalusian regions in Spain.
Exhibition hosted at the EESC under the initiative of the President of the EESC Workers' Group, Oliver Röpke, in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation and Alliance 8.7.
In late November, the European Commission is expected to kick-off the annual cycle of economic policy coordination, including the publication of the new recommendations for the euro area for 2023.
The upcoming meeting of the Section for External Relations, which will take place on 20 December 2022, will be dedicated to EU-UK relations. The EU-UK Follow-up Committee was set up in March 2021 primarily to maintain and strengthen relations between UK and EU civil society organisations, and to monitor implementation of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement.
The 10th meeting of the EU-Georgia Civil Society Platform (CSP) was convened on 16 December 2022. During the meeting, a debate focused on assessing the implementation of the 12 priorities identified by the EU and the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement/DCFTA. The Platform also discussed the implementation of the Chapter 16 on Education, training and youth.
A joint declaration, prepared by both sides, was discussed and adopted.
574th Plenary session, with the following guests : Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner responsible for Jobs and Social Rights, Álvaro Albacete Perea, Deputy Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean, and Josep Ferré, Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Ivailo Kalfin, Executive Director of Eurofound, Kinga Stanislawska, Founder of European Women in VC (Venture Capital) and Xenia Kazoli, Executive vice chairwoman of the Hellenic corporate governance council. And the Civil Society Prize award ceremony on Thursday 15 December at 10 a.m.
