Opinions

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    CCMI/242-EESC
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Italy
    (Slovakia
    Plenary session number
    598
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 25/03/2025
    Reference
    CCMI/249-EESC
    Employers - GR I
    Portugal
    (Belgium
    Plenary session number
    598
    -

    This opinion will examine how to support the competitiveness of European automotive manufacturers and the overall enabling conditions, including targeted financing, regulatory simplification, ensuring the availability of skilled workforce and how to improve its supply chain resilience. It will also examine how to make electric vehicle battery cells and components production in the EU cost-competitive in the short term. Finally, it will look at autonomous driving technologies and the regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 27/02/2025
    Reference
    TEN/851-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    Austria
    Plenary session number
    598
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    TEN/847-EESC
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Hungary
    Workers - GR II
    France
    Plenary session number
    597
    -

    Europe’s energy system is increasingly unbalanced due to intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar, often relying on fossil fuels for stability. Achieving balance is key for energy reliability, climate goals, economic growth, and technological innovation. This opinion explores how Member States can integrate renewables while ensuring system stability and advancing decarbonisation, focusing on managing intermittent energy effectively.

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 05/12/2024
    Reference
    TEN/846-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    Austria
    Plenary session number
    596
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    TEN/849-EESC
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Croatia
    Workers - GR II
    Poland
    Plenary session number
    597
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 05/12/2024
    Reference
    SOC/822-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    Austria
    Plenary session number
    597
    -

    This opinion aims to support the creation of a forward-looking social action plan by evaluating the progress and challenges of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). It focuses on aiding those most impacted by demographic and labour market changes, strengthening employment standards, and enhancing social safety nets. Despite achievements during 2019-2024, gaps remain, and progress towards action plan targets is insufficient. To this end, the opinion will propose policy recommendations and initiatives to inform the European Commission’s upcoming Action Plan for EPSR implementation with a view to increasing upward social convergence.

  • Reference
    SOC/833-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    Italy
    Employers - GR I
    France
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    SOC/827-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    Italy
    Plenary session number
    599
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    REX/600-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    Germany
    Employers - GR I
    Ireland
    Plenary session number
    598
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 05/12/2024
    Reference
    REX/596-EESC
    Employers - GR I
    Greece
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Cyprus
    Plenary session number
    597
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 05/12/2024
    Reference
    NAT/946-EESC-2024
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Romania
    Plenary session number
    596
    -

    EESC opinion NAT/946 Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies while ensuring European competitiveness, mitigating the cost-of-living crisis, and promoting a just transition. Foreseen adoption at the EESC Plenary: 29-30 April 2025.

    Download — Tuairim ó rannóg de chuid CESE: Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies while ensuring European competitiveness, mitigating the cost-of-living crisis, and promoting a just transition
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    NAT/948-EESC
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Bulgaria
    Plenary session number
    597
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    NAT/949-EESC
    Employers - GR I
    Romania
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Estonia
    Plenary session number
    598
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 05/12/2024
    Reference
    ECO/661-EESC-2024-04534
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Romania
    Plenary session number
    596
    -

    This own-initiative opinion constitutes the contribution of the ECO section to the 2025 EESC transversal own-initiative opinion package on the cost-of-living crisis, looking at specific economic policy measures that can help make the European economy future-proof.

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    ECO/663-EESC
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Romania
    Workers - GR II
    Spain
    Plenary session number
    598
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 25/02/2025
    Reference
    ECO/670-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    Romania
    Plenary session number
    598
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 25/03/2025
    Reference
    ECO/677-EESC
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Italy
    Plenary session number
    598
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
    Reference
    CCMI/247-EESC
    Workers - GR II
    France
    (Slovakia
    Plenary session number
    598
    -

    This opinion intends to discuss the relationship between water resilience, digitalisation and the green transition. It aims to propose recommendations to address the different challenges involving water, digitalisation and decarbonisation from an industrial perspective.

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 05/12/2024
    Reference
    CCMI/239-EESC
    Employers - GR I
    Spain
    (Slovakia
    Plenary session number
    597
    -
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 17/09/2024
    Reference
    CCMI/238-EESC-2024
    Civil Society Organisations - GR III
    Cyprus
    (Slovakia
    Plenary session number
    594
    -

    The European Union’s ambitious climate targets have significantly impacted resource and energy-intensive industries (REIIs), which are crucial to the EU economy. These industries face rising costs due to high energy prices, carbon pricing, and regulatory changes. This opinion reflects on the optimal solutions to maintain the competitiveness of EU industry in face if the rising energy prices and the costs required to support the transition towards a low-carbon economy. The EU Youth Test at the EESC was applied to this opinion.

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 24/10/2024
    Reference
    INT/1076-EESC-2025-00003
    Employers - GR I
    Austria
    Plenary session number
    596
    -

    The rule of law is one of the common values on which the European Union is founded. European Commission’s rule of law mechanism has so far only examined compliance with the rule of law in the member states in only four areas, but unfortunately not as a prerequisite for economic activity or as a location factor. The own-initiative opinion on the economic dimension of the Rule of Law would look for examples of protectionism and the implementation of discriminatory measures against foreign investors in some member states as non-compliance and circumvention of European regulations lead to enormous distortions of competition for companies operating in the internal market. The own-initiative opinion would also seek to include a chapter on the economic dimension of fundamental rights in the European Commissions’ Rule of law report.

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 25/02/2025
    Reference
    ECO/665-EESC
    Plenary session number
    596
    -

    The European Parliament has requested the EESC to draft an opinion on sustaining and financing investments. More specifically, on the expectations, concerns, and needs of civil society. We will deliver our views and policy recommendations on the further integration of EU capital markets, the Banking Union, and on public support to boost private investment.

    This opinion is in the context of the own-initiative procedure of the European Parliament on Facilitating the financing of investments and reforms to boost European competitiveness and creating a Capital Markets Union (Draghi Report).

  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 25/03/2025
    Reference
    ECO/672-EESC-2025
    Plenary session number
    596
    -
    Download — Tuairim ó CESE: Increasing the efficiency of the EU guarantee
  • Tuairimí atá idir lámha (updated on 10/04/2025) - Bureau decision date: 03/12/2024
    Reference
    INT/1077-EESC-2025
    Employers - GR I
    France
    Plenary session number
    596
    -

    The opinion focuses on the legislative proposal for the establishment of a single digital declaration portal for companies providing services and temporarily sending workers to another Member State, known as ‘posted workers'.

    Download — Tuairim ó rannóg de chuid CESE: Internal Market Information System for the declaration of posting of workers