In this overview the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) shares its opinions on the European Commission’s proposals for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, bringing together the perspectives of organised civil society on the future direction of the EU budget.
Europe is facing a pivotal moment. Social and economic inequalities, rapid technological change, anti-democratic forces and geopolitical instability are straining the foundations of the European project.
With democracy and civic space under mounting pressure, civil society organisations, human rights defenders and free media face growing constraints - from restrictive laws and disinformation campaigns to underfunding and public distrust. Deepening polarisation and eroding trust in institutions further undermine Europe’s democratic model.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on 19 June 2025 adopted a resolution to provide the European Commission with a contribution to its 2026 work programme.
This brochure presents the EESC's opinions relating to the cohesion policy for the post-2020 period. It demonstrates the important role played by organised civil society representatives during this period in exerting influence on decision-makers, which led to the adoption of a number of important policy packages concerning the next programming period. The EESC was the first European institution to contribute to the development of the new programming period (2021-2027).
This brochure presents the EESC's opinions, position papers, resolutions and statements calling for the necessary measures to be taken at EU level, or commenting on those that have already been put forward, in order to tackle the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We pushed for a reconstruction and recovery plan that lives up to this unprecedented challenge.
After the financial crisis, it became clear that the fragmented environment in the EU made it difficult to deal decisively and effectively with problems, particularly in the financial system. A common and cross-border approach became essential/were needed. The challenge was to make the financial institutions and markets more stable, competitive, safe and resilient. From that perspective, the plans for a fully-fledged banking union and a capital markets union were the right response.
This brochure presents the EESC's opinions on various aspects of the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing in the EU, providing an overview of policy developments and the views of civil society on the steps taken.
In this brochure, we have collected a series of opinions in which the EESC has reflected on the various policies that constitute the building blocks of the Banking Union as well as the remaining issues facing its completion.
This brochure presents the EESC's opinions in the area of taxation and gives an overview of key recommendations. We believe that great efforts are needed to prevent aggressive tax planning behaviour by businesses and non-transparency by Member States to ensure equal treatment of firms and to promote European competitiveness for the benefit of all Europeans.
