European Economic and Social Committee

Missed our March #EESCPlenary?    Here's a quick recap of what we discussed with EU Commissioners Michael McGrath, Christophe Hansen, and Valdis Dombrovski:  💠 we committed to shaping the Civil Society Platform and vowed to keep championing civic space;    💠we welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to strengthen the bargaining position of farmers in food chains, while advocating for a more ambitious Common Agricultural Policy in our debate;    💠 we reaffirmed our commitment to building a resilient, future-ready EU, following the presentation of the European Commission's Work Programme for the next five years;    💠 we adopted opinions on various topics, including the EU's growth plan for Moldova and the European Oceans Pact.    Find out more about this plenary's opinions → europa.eu/!PFMMk6 

Health is wealth! On #WorldHealthDay, we shed light on key recommendations we have made to strengthen and improve the EU healthcare systems. From our call for the Critical Medicines Act, recently proposed by the European Commission, to our push for an EU flagship initiative for health, we advocate for policies that build more resilient, accessible, and equitable healthcare systems for all. Read our opinions: europa.eu/!n6FBRh #HealthUnion

EU civil society and social partners must be at the heart of the enlargement process.    After granting the EU candidacy status to Moldova last year, the EU recently presented its biggest support package ever granted to the country which we fully endorse.    At our March plenary we aligned with the position of the European Commission and the European Parliament to involve social partners, civil society organisations, and local authorities in the development, monitoring and implementation of the reform agenda.    Through our 'Enlargement Candidate Members' initiative, we support all EU candidate countries towards their path to European integration. 131 civil society experts from these countries are currently contributing to our work on selected opinions.    Learn more about our initiative → europa.eu/!J9MjPm     #EUEnlargement #Moldova

Ensuring the future of our farmers and food.    We welcome the European Commission's proposal to strengthen farmers' bargaining power in food chains. However, we believe more ambition is needed in the Common Agricultural Policy.    During our recent plenary debate, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen presented the New Vision on Agriculture and Food - a roadmap to make Europe's agri-food sector more competitive, resilient, and fair.    We support key measures to:  ✅ improve farmers' bargaining position;  ✅ increase transparency in supply chains;  ✅ ensure fair contracts with renegotiation clauses;  ✅ strengthen food policy dialogue.    Together, we can turn this vision into reality for all food chain actors, including Europe's farmers, food producers, workers, and consumers.    Our recommendations: europa.eu/!BJX9ch    #AgriFood 

What do EU citizens think about artificial intelligence and the future of work?  📊 84% think that AI requires careful management to protect privacy and ensure transparency in the workplace;  📊 70% believe it improves productivity;  📊 62% view robots and AI positively at work.    Two months ago, we warned about the risks posed by unregulated artificial intelligence in the world of work.    We must make AI trustworthy with human control in all human-machine interactions, social dialogue and worker involvement to protect their rights, enhanced collaboration with civil society organisations.    More in our adopted opinion: europa.eu/!fx6GXB     🔍 Data from the Eurobarometer survey on artificial intelligence and the future of work, February 2025.    📸 © Image of our Committee’s bridge in Brussels generated with AI.     #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalEU

Civil society plays a key role in addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development. This month marks the 25th anniversary of the EU-Africa partnership, established at the first Africa-EU Summit in 2000. Through our Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union ECOSOCC, we have strengthened civil society’s contributions to this collaboration. 🌍🇪🇺 We are committed to supporting African civil society organisations and social partners by facilitating their establishment, organisation, and capacity to build a resilient democracy across Africa. Read our opinion: europa.eu/!pWvJ7d #Democracy #Africa

Defending democracy, protecting civil society. 🇪🇺    During our recent plenary, we discussed with Michael McGrath, European Commissioner for Democracy, the urgent need to protect civic space and fight back against polarisation.  Through our Civil Society Week, we have put forward key recommendations, including:  ✅ strengthening social cohesion through education and culture;  ✅ advancing public participation through the ECI;  ✅ building a strong European strategy for civil society;  ✅ reinforcing support and funding for civil society organisations. Together, we must act to ensure that Europe remains a place where civil society thrives, and every voice is heard.    Read more: europa.eu/!c43VxV    #EESCPlenary #EUCivilSociety #CivSocWeek 

We kicked off spring with impactful partnerships, bringing together key voices from civil society to tackle pressing issues, we met with: 🤝 The Euro Coop for an engaging discussion on "Driving sustainability through healthy diets", highlighting the role of food consumption in a greener future. 🤝 BusinessEurope to explore the "Implications of US tax policy for Europe", examining transatlantic economic dynamics and their impact on European businesses. 🤝 MTK ry – Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners to celebrate 30 years of Austria, Finland, and Sweden in the CAP with a special event on "Forestry - CAP - 30 Year Celebration", discussing sustainable forest management and the EU agricultural policy. Read our related opinions here: shorturl.at/BKxjY #EESCPartnership #Sustainability #TaxPolicy

Ignoring EU civil society is simply not an option. 🙅♂️    What better day than the anniversary of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) coming into force to emphasise the crucial need of consulting civil society.    This was the message we conveyed to the European Commission two years ago when it proposed reforms to the EU’s economic governance framework without involving European civil society.     We raised our concerns and provided key recommendations to ensure the final legislative package mandated civil society consultation on essential economic reforms.    Our advocacy then played a pivotal role in influencing the positions of both the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.    Read the full story here → europa.eu/!whXXvB     #EESCstories #ECI

Innovation drives growth, creates jobs, and fuels competitiveness.     The EU must act now to boost research, development and innovation, by achieving its goal of investing 3% of GDP in the sector to stay in the global race.     We can achieve this by:   🔹 prioritising research, development and innovation in the next Multiannual Financial Framework;  🔹 supporting SMEs to gain access to research facilities, technology infrastructures and expertise;  🔹 exchanging know-how through collaboration between academia, organisations and industry.    Find out more in our publication: europa.eu/!hXNFv3    #Innovation #EUCompetitiveness