Opinions with Civil Society Organisations - Group III members as rapporteur/co-rapporteur/rapporteur-general

This Opinion aims to make inclusive democratic participation a core element of democratic resilience, strengthening meaningful and lasting cooperation between public authorities, citizens, communities and civil society throughout the policy cycle. It emphasises the role of resilient communities and calls for participation to be inclusive, accessible and protected from undue interference. It also promotes civic education, digital literacy and the responsible use of digital tools.

This opinion examines the Commission's proposal for a EU Anti Poverty Strategy and sets out the EESC’s priorities. It calls for a comprehensive, rights-based and life-course approach to poverty, addressing its structural causes and the specific needs of groups facing the greatest risks of poverty and exclusion. The opinion stresses the importance of adequate social protection, access to quality essential services and inclusive labour markets, and calls for stronger EU and national action to prevent poverty and ensure effective social inclusion.

This opinion analyses the Commission's proposal for a Council Recommendation on Housing Exclusion and looks at the issue of homelessness among children, families and young people in the EU. It addresses access to dignified housing from a human rights perspective, and recommends that prevention and reduction of homelessness should remain the primary focus of the Council Recommendation, in line with the Lisbon Declaration. It stresses that a preventive approach should be complemented by robust social emergency services, and recommends all Member States to develop a strategic framework to combat homelessness.

In this opinion, the EESC calls on the European Commission to recognize that shrinking civic space and growing pressure on democracy and democratic values constitute structural barriers to poverty reduction and should be addressed in the implementation of the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. To achieve SDG 1(No Poverty), the root causes of poverty must be addressed through a human-rights and democratic-resilience lens, shifting the discourse from providing charitable assistance to seeing poverty reduction as a shared public responsibility, as well as a fundamental human rights responsibility.

In this opinion, the EESC presents its recommendations on the Communication Enhancing the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030"adopted as part of the so-called Social Package, in which the Commission sets out its initiatives for the second half of the EU Disability Strategy. Despite the progress made, barriers persist across the EU, limiting the full participation of persons with disabilities in society and the economy on an equal basis with others.

This opinion analyses the Commission's Communication "Breaking the cycle of child poverty - strengthening the European Child Guarantee". It addresses the strengthening of the European Child Guarantee as a child-centred, rights-based instrument to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and social exclusion. It recommends reinforcing access to quality parental employment and affordable and high-quality early childhood education and care, while ensuring that vulnerable groups are not excluded from essential services.