Konstantinos DIAMANTOUROS (Employers - GR I/Greece), Javier DOZ ORRIT (Workers - GR II/Spain), Luca JAHIER (Civil Society Organisations - GR III/Italy)
Plenary session number
Ses
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Ongoing (updated on 17/09/2024) - Bureau decision date: 11/07/2024
Konstantinos DIAMANTOUROS (Employers - GR I/Greece), Javier DOZ ORRIT (Workers - GR II/Spain), Luca JAHIER (Civil Society Organisations - GR III/Italy)
Plenary session number
Ses
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Information Report ECO/651 and Own-initiative opinion ECO/652 are a continuation of the European Semester Group's (ESG) work to consult annually national economic and social councils, social partners and civil society organisations from EU Member States on reform and investment proposals made in the context of the European Semester and their implementation in the Member States. The Information Report aims to collect the views of social partners and civil society organisations in the Member States on the reform and investment proposals and their implementation, in particular those indicated in the 2024 Country-Specific Recommendations. The Own-initiative opinion aims to complement the Information Report and to include the EESC's policy recommendations based on the results of the stakeholder consultation. It allows the EESC to formulate general and specific considerations, and to present the associated EESC's conclusions and policy proposals.
Ongoing (updated on 17/09/2024) - Bureau decision date: 18/01/2024
Climate change is a matter of urgency and demands a green shift in our economies. To achieve the EU's climate targets, a profound modernisation of the capital stock is needed. This entails a massive expansion of public investments. The need for an EU-level investment fund to finance the green transition is also a matter of economic strength and sustainable competitiveness. One central element of closing the financing gap is an investment friendly reform of the EU fiscal rules. While the reform process is still ongoing and is supposed to be finished by the end of this legislature, it is already clear that the fiscal space for public investments at national level will not significantly increase with the reform.
Download — EESC section opinion: An EU investment fund for economic resilience and sustainable competitiveness
The EESC supports fostering joint programmes among higher education institutions within and beyond European University Alliance projects, ensuring quality assurance and including all relevant stakeholdersin their implementation. It emphasises the need for broad collaboration among stakeholders to effectively implement the initiatives, particularly highlighting the fundamental values of student and staff participation following the Bologna Process. The EESC calls for the involvement of relevant labour market stakeholders in defining study programmes that have particular relevance to the labour market. It emphasises the need for adequate resources to implement these initiatives effectively.
Download — EESC section opinion: A joint European degree
Every year in February, the EESC adopts an opinion on the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey (ASGS), which the Commission usually presents at the end of November in the year before. To reinforce the Committee's impact throughout the entire annual European Semester cycle, an own-initiative opinion with additional considerations is regularly produced by October taking into account the overall European Semester process and RRF developments, and providing a timely input to the Commission's preparation of the next ASGS expected again for November 2024. The Communication on the ASGS 2024 outlines the economic and employment policy priorities for the EU for the following 12 months, focusing on short-term energy shock mitigation, medium-term sustainable growth and resilience in the EU, and alignment with the long-term EU objectives.
Ongoing (updated on 17/09/2024) - Bureau decision date: 18/01/2024
This opinion presents recommendations on ways to help persons with disabilities enter the open labour market and better implement the aims highlighted in the Disability Employment Package. It focuses on two topics: the social integration, complex rehabilitation and occupational rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and changed working capacity; and a EU-level reflection around the need for reasonable accommodation.
Download — EESC section opinion: Promoting the social integration of persons with disabilities and persons with changed working capacity
The EESC underlines that youth participation mechanisms need to be transparent and that the interests and concerns of young people need to be considered at each stage of the policy-making cycle. It proposes that guidelines are set up to support the monitoring and dissemination of the EUYD (EU Youth Dialogue) outcomes and impact and that an online repository be set up where collected documents would be made available. It calls on the Commission and the Member States to support long-term, sustainable and well-functioning management of the EUYD, including the establishment of institutional memory and capacity building processes.
Download — EESC section opinion: Strengthening the EU Youth Dialogue follow-up via monitoring and transparency guidelines
The well-functioning Single Market is a main asset of the EU. It is clearly the quality of the overall legislative framework that matters for businesses when making investment decisions, being a key competitiveness factor.
Download — EESC opinion: Sectoral initiatives and overall competitiveness of the EU
John COMER (Civil Society Organisations - GR III/Ireland), Josep PUXEU ROCAMORA (Employers - GR I/Spain), Carlos SILVA (Workers - GR II/Portugal)
Plenary session number
590
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Download — EESC section opinion: Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest – impact on climate change and the global environment; consequences for companies, workers and population
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) was asked by the upcoming Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU to produce an exploratory opinion on paving the way to EU accession for the Western Balkans, underlining the benefits of the future enlargement to the region from a holistic point of view.
Download — EESC section opinion: Paving the way to EU accession for the Western Balkans
The European Green Deal set the path for a critical transition related to climate and circularity. The current transformation change concerns all sectors of economy, mainly transport, energy, industry and agriculture. It is critical to ensure a synergetic approach between the goals of the Green Deal and other important EU goals, such as innovation, competitiveness and access to critical raw materials. A better understanding of how the different EU adopted legislative acts interact with each other is needed. Moreover, the Green Deal legislation should also reflect the current economic and political situation in which we are living.
The own initiative opinion aims at identifying acts and particular measures stemming from the Green Deal that need a recalibration in order to avoid any contradictions, damage to the environment, consumer health and EU competitiveness.
Download — EESC section opinion: How to recalibrate the Green Deal that it fits for purpose
Exploratory opinion requested by the Hungarian presidency on the policy measures and framework needed to support the EU industry to transform and decarbonize.
Download — EESC section opinion: What EU policies are needed for enterprises/business to become competitive in a fair, sustainable, stronger and more resilient way to realize the European Green Deal
Download — EESC section opinion: Ensuring equal opportunities and social inclusion in access to culture, lifelong learning and the role of public cultural institutions in this process
