2024 brings a new European Union mandate and a multitude of challenges. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) plans to be increasingly visible and relevant as the EU navigates climate and technological change, and the employment challenges they will bring.
The EESC’s president, Oliver Röpke, has been in office for one year, launching a bold manifesto and taking a fresh approach to enlargement. With an ambitious agenda, he seeks to strengthen the position of the EESC in the frontline of EU politics.
This Special Report looks closely at the EESC as it deploys its next-generation strategy.
Governments are shifting their priorities away from Sustainable Development Goals, but the EESC’s Peter Schmidt argues for a holistic approach, designing policies that can help farmers and citizens transition to a more sustainable way of producing and consuming.
For many Europeans, flipping a light switch or turning the faucet for warm water is an unremarkable action, yet around 42 million people across Europe could not warm their homes effectively, the EESC is demanding more action.
To catch the enlargement train, EU candidate countries must run simultaneously with the European Union, argues the EESC’s Dimitris Dimitriadis. He says responsibility for an increasing Western Balkans' disillusionment with the EU is shared.
After one year in office, the launch of a bold manifesto including the voices of youth, an emphasis on gender equality, and a fresh approach to enlargement, Oliver Röpke, President of the EESC is making waves with a Blue Deal.
The European, Economic and Social Committee has taken a unique approach to enlargement, using a future-proofing strategy to engage with EU candidate countries through a pilot initiative to include them in policy development discussions.