At its December plenary, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) took stock of the work carried out by the Spanish EU Presidency in the second semester of 2023 and addressed future challenges for Europe.
The results of the COP28 climate conference have disappointed civil society organisations. Nonetheless, they can be a springboard for further European action in the global COP forum.
In the run-up to the EU-Western Balkans Summit, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) met with Montenegrin civil society on 7 December 2023 to take stock of the country's accession progress, and in particular its public administration reform. The participants raised concerns about the weakening capacity of the country's public administration to respond to the growing demands of the EU agenda. However, with the new government, there is a window of opportunity for the necessary reforms to move forward in the accession negotiations.
Transparency International EU and Generation Climate Europe have now joined the EESC's network of European civil society organisations working to shape EU laws
The 8th European Migration Forum (EMF), organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, explored questions around migrants' vulnerabilities, bridging the skills gap and countering prejudice surrounding migration.
Making the European economy more resilient and dynamic through growth while at the same time prioritising environmental protection are not mutually incompatible but essential to future-proofing the continent's society. That is the main message from a European Economic and Social Committee conference "Sustainability and prosperity at the heart of the European project", held on 30 November on the fringes of an extraordinary Bureau meeting, where the EESC met with the upcoming Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU.
Europeans need to know how EU decisions affect their lives if campaigns to boost voter turnout are to have any real effect. Messages need to be tailored to each EU country and barriers preventing young people from entering politics need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Ahead of the 2024 European elections, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the EU's national Economic and Social Councils met in Madrid for their annual meeting. Main takeaway: organised civil society is instrumental in ensuring a just green and digital transition and in making European democracy work.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility has increased the capacity for social investment in the EU. However, National Recovery and Resilience Plans, funded by the facility, are still plagued by shortcomings such as uneven investing in social programmes in different Member States, insufficient consultation with social partners and a gender dimension that is too weak
To make the decarbonisation of the EU's energy and transport a success, those sectors need workers equipped with "new" skills, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) warns, as it calls on policy-makers to act without delay.
