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.
The EESC opinion on the "Reinforcing democracy and integrity of elections package", adopted at the February plenary session, comes in at a very timely moment, with populist voices and anti-democratic rhetoric gaining ground in Europe. Manipulative information, interference and fake news disseminated by "bots" and "trolls" could generate a "casus belli" pretext, as we have witnessed all too recently. The EESC welcomes the aims of the European election package and makes recommendations to further secure transparent, accessible and honest political activities and an active role of civil society.
On 10 May, candidates from the main parties running for the European Parliament (EP) elections took part in a round table debate organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Madrid. They were in favour of initiating a reform of the EU institutions with the aim, amongst other things, of enabling organised civil society to play a greater role in the building of Europe.
EESC resolution urges civil society to turn out in force at European elections and vote for a united Europe
The EESC's plenary session on 15 May adopted a resolution calling on all EU citizens to turn out at the forthcoming European elections and vote in favour of a united Europe. The Committee also invited civil society organisations to join efforts to mobilise voters. Read the full text here.
What does it mean in practice to be a EU citizen? Install the Citizens' App and you’ll learn who does what in the EU, how all of this is relevant to your daily life and what challenges the EU faces, many of which will shape your future.
Every year, almost two hundred thousand European workers dieas a result of workplace diseases, illnesses and accidents. On 28 April, Workers' Memorial Day, we commemorate workers that were injured or lost their lives due to unsafe working conditions. A healthy and safe work environment is not only indispensable for workers, but also contributes considerably to labour productivity and promotes economic growth.
Workers' Group side event at the ETUC Congress - 22 May, 13.00
14H30 - Room Stolz 2,Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Centre
Messeplatz 1
A 1020 Vienna
Austria
The European Parliament has been one of the key European institutions for trade unions to make our voices heard. However, the predictions of the next election results give cause for concern. One thing is clear - the landscape of the next European Parliament will change and the two traditional parties may no longer have a majority. What does this mean for trade unions and how will we navigate this new landscape?