The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens’ participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Here you can find news and information about the EESC'swork, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's326 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Various Interests.
The EESC has six sections, specialising in concrete topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
At the February plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, called on the European institutions to support the Belarusian people in their fight against authoritarianism. Belarus must not be Putin’s consolation prize: it deserves to be part of the European family. This will only be possible with the active support of all EU institutions.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Single Market, the EESC held a debate about the future of the world's largest trading bloc with Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager. The Single Market is widely considered the EU's greatest achievement, but has also shown its limitations in the face of current crises.
On Tuesday 24 January, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held an exchange of views with Guillaume Lafortune, Vice-President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN), on the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The debate revealed that the EU is failing to meet the objectives of the UN's 2030 Agenda. Yet, there is hope. The EU has the opportunity to take the lead, including through financial support. The EESC plays an important role in monitoring progress.
The January plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) featured a debate during which the Swedish Minister for EU Affairs, Jessika Roswall, presented the priorities of the new presidency of the Council of the European Union.
At the European Economic and Social Committee plenary session on Wednesday, EESC members discussed the EU's response to geopolitical challenges with Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. The presidents of both institutions agreed that competitiveness, together with more strategic autonomy, is crucial in the current challenging times.
At its December plenary, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) discussed the issues affecting young people in the labour market in the context of the 2022 European Year of Youth and the 2023 European Year of Skills. The Committee advocates for a long-term strategy for youth engagement and recommends that the concept of European Years go beyond mere promotional activities and contribute towards clear plans. The needs of refugees and our Ukrainian neighbours must also be a priority of the European Year of Skills.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) today awarded prizes to six civil society organisations for their outstanding projects, which are shining examples of civil society's commitment to creating a better future for Europe's young people and to easing the plight of Ukrainians suffering as a result of Russia's brutal invasion of their country.
The European Economic and Social Committee held a plenary debate on the role of finance and public recovery policies in promoting gender equality and the economic empowerment of women in the EU. The discussion was linked to the adoption of two opinions: one on a gender-based approach to budgeting and investing and the other on how Member States can improve the way in which the direct and indirect measures proposed in their Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs) affect gender equality.
The December plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) featured a debate on the reconstruction and resilience of the Euro‑Mediterranean region following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The EESC Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law Group held a public hearing on protecting women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. Participants in the debate called for free health services, access to contraception, more inclusive policies, and reproductive and sexual education. This debate was organised in collaboration with the EESC Equality Group as part of a series of EESC events following up on the European Parliament's Gender Equality Week initiative.