EESC President

On 11 June, the EESC held its extraordinary Bureau meeting in Budapest, ahead of the start of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU next month. Opening the conference, EESC President Oliver Röpke discussed the importance of the EU's cohesion policy, which is among the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency. he said that the EU's cohesion policy needs new momentum, as it could reinforce people confidence in the European project.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted two opinions at its May plenary, emphasising the crucial role of cohesion policy – the EU’s primary funding instrument for regional development – in future enlargements. The EESC calls for, among others, compliance tools to be included in accession treaties to address potential post-accession challenges, such as emigration and rule of law concerns.

At its May plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) called on the EU institutions to include young people’s views in EU policies on a regular and systematic basis. With just one week left until the European elections, the EESC has stepped up its own youth engagement by urging youth organisations to take part in the EESC Youth Test. Designed to strengthen the voice of young people in policy making, the "EESC Youth Test" call for applications will be open until 30 June.