In the context of the upcoming European elections in June 2024, the high-level discussion at the NAT section meeting on 26 February will contribute to set the agenda of the new Commission. Building on previous EESC opinions and events on "The sustainable economy we need" and "Beyond GDP measures", the debate will feed into the own-initiative opinion on A Blueprint for a European Green and Social Deal, based on a wellbeing economy.
"Meet the champions of excellence" is a flagship event of the European Year of Skills, jointly organized by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Commission. It will show inspiring skills of young people and highlight the value of vocational education and training as an effective learning and career path.
Today Europeans and particularly for the most vulnerable groups are increasingly concerned about the availability, accessibility and sustainability of decent housing. Many EU citizens and households face excessive housing costs, with housing being their main consumer expenditure and an excessive burden, to the detriment of other basic needs. However, access to affordable and decent housing is both a social need and a social right, and one of the 20 essential principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Yet it is constantly being called into question by the various crises the EU has faced in recent years.
585th plenary session with the following guests: Maroš Šefčovič, EC Executive VP for European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight; Dubravka Šuica, VP of EC and Commissioner for Democracy and Demography and Tatiana Molcean, Under-Secretary General of the UN, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE); Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania and Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro.
The Commission is proposing a new growth plan for the Western Balkans based on four pillars, aimed at:
Enhancing economic integration with the European Union’s single market, subject to the Western Balkans aligning with single market rules and opening the relevant sectors ....
CEDEFOP and the EESC are jointly organizing the "Fifth Policy learning forum on Upskilling pathways: a vision for the future". The Forum is organised in a context where all adults, regardless of their socio-economic background, labour market status and qualifications deserve the opportunity to constantly update and acquire new skills to keep up with rapidly changing work realities, manage ever more frequent transitions in the labour market and to thrive in their personal lives and career.
The EESC organised a public hearing in the process of drafting its opinion (INT/1039) on the Commission's 2023 Strategic Foresight Report (SFR) focusing on 'Sustainability and people's wellbeing at the hearth of Europe's Open Strategic Autonomy"
The European Commission announced the Defence of Democracy Package as a way to promote free and fair elections, to fight disinformation, and to develop civic space and citizen participation. The initiative has raised much interest but also concerns amongst civil society actors fearing that aspects addressing interference from non-EU countries could affect civic space. Participating stakeholders are invited to discuss the content of the package to feed into the related EESC opinion.
