European Economic and Social Committee
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Healthcare must be people-centred and valued as a social investment, not a 'cost', concluded a conference organised by the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the EESC at the House of Europe in Stockholm on 25 May 2023. For this to happen it is necessary to change mindsets socially, economically and politically.
Inaugural speech at the conference 'Health, Care and Prosperity after Covid-19: Swedish and European Perspectives', Stockholm, 25 May 2023
One of the top priorities of the disability movement, called for for many years, the European Disability Card will enable people with disabilities to exercise their fundamental right to freedom of movement in the EU on the same footing as people without disabilities.
The EESC describes the Commission's proposals for strengthening social dialogue in Member States and the EU as both timely and necessary, but calls for additional steps. Action is needed on improving national consultations with the social partners, national and European collective bargaining coverage and the implementation of social partner agreements
On the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee is calling upon the European Commission to adopt binding legislation to prevent psychosocial risks in the workplace. There is mounting evidence pointing to the fact that precarious work is taking a significant toll on workers' mental health. The call was made during yesterday’s EESC’s plenary session, chaired for the first time by the newly elected president, Oliver Röpke.
With populism and authoritarianism on the rise across Europe, civil society organisations face growing hostility. Battling with financial constraints, smear campaigns, political attacks and legal and administrative obstacles, they urgently need reinforced support on all fronts to be able to play their key role of making our societies more open, more accountable and just.
Amid a projected rise in the number of people at risk of poverty, adequate minimum income is a necessary condition to ensure a dignified life for many Europeans. To make sure it is available to all those who need it, Member States should put in place transparent and non-discriminatory criteria for people to obtain it.
Poverty must always be combated in the EU and in the rest of the world. This is all the more important as the cost of living has increased significantly since the onset of the war in Ukraine. While civil society organisations provide important solutions to tackle the effects of poverty, it is clear that future policy measures must be poverty-proof. These are the conclusions of a discussion organised by the Civil Society Organisations' Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on 22 March 2023. The event was attended by high-level guest speakers, including Italy's Minister for Labour and Social Policies, Marina Elvira Calderone.
At its plenary session in March, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate with Italy's Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Marina Elvira Calderone, on making EU labour markets stronger and more inclusive. The EESC reiterated its support for the European Commission's proposal to strengthen national equality bodies, which are entrusted with promoting equality for all and combating discrimination in employment.
The Social Progress Protocol, proposed during the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE), gives precedence to social, workers' and trade union rights when they are in conflict with economic freedoms. However, while everyone agreed that social rights and economic freedoms can co-exist, support for making the protocol primary EU law is far from unanimous, with diverging views among the social partners and in the academic community, an EESC hearing confirmed
