Download — Evaluation of Directive E (EU) 2019/633 of 17 April 2019 on unfair trading practices in B2B relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain (Incl. Mapping of national UTP legislation)
Strengthening SMEs' competitiveness in the EU, especially vis-à-vis companies from outside Europe, is not possible without reducing excessive regulatory burdens, including the reduction of reporting obligations. The problem of overregulation of EU law, especially in comparison with other parts of the world, has been repeatedly pointed out by organisations representing European entrepreneurs. The opinion aims at identifying the reasons for introducing excessive regulatory burdens in EU law and the areas that restrain SMEs' competitiveness the most. The opinion will analyse the impact of the new sustainability reporting obligations (both those already introduced and those planned) on the SMEs' competitiveness, by indicating the actual benefits of this process
Download — EESC section opinion: The competitiveness of the EU’s small and medium-sized enterprises in light of new administrative burdens/obligations
Dumitru FORNEA (Workers - GR II/Romania), Decebal-Ștefăniță PADURE (Employers - GR I/Romania), Ionuţ SIBIAN (Civil Society Organisations - GR III/Romania)
Plenary session number
598
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Ongoing (updated on 20/02/2025) - Bureau decision date: 18/01/2024
This opinion will focus on possible solutions to rethink EU sustainable model for tourism, a sector of strategic importance in the EU but suffering from staff shortages in may countries.
Download — EESC section opinion: Tourism in the EU: sustainability as a driver for long-term competitiveness
The EU’s ambitious climate targets are driving up costs for industries, but they also encourage innovation and create value, necessitating a careful balance between development and maintaining competitiveness. The EESC opinion aims to assess how these challenges will impact European industry and propose solutions to ensure competitiveness amid rising energy costs and the green transition.
Download — EESC section opinion: The future of EU industry in the face of high energy prices and transition costs
As emphasised in the Letta and Draghi reports, the two main challenges of EU R&I policy are: i) reversing the declining productivity of the EU economy and closing the competitiveness gap with other global scientific and economic powers; and ii) reducing the fragmentation of the European research area to allow for the free circulation of scientific knowledge, research and innovation referred as the ‘fifth freedom’ in the Letta report.
In early 2026, the Commission is expected to publish the European Research Area Act (ERA Act). EESC’s input through this own-initiative opinion (OIO) is intended to shape the ERA Act, ensuring that it supports a vibrant ecosystem for innovation and digital transformation, and aligns with these strategic visions.
Ongoing (updated on 20/02/2025) - Bureau decision date: 23/01/2025
Joe HEALY (Civil Society Organisations - GR III/Ireland), Piroska KÁLLAY (Workers - GR II/Hungary), Arnold PUECH d'ALISSAC (Employers - GR I/France)
Plenary session number
594
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Download — EESC section opinion: Ensuring sustainable food production and a fair income for European farmers in the face of market, environmental and climate challenges
Cohesion policy in its current form has had positive impact on the socio-economic development of the EU, individual countries and regions. However, the Polish presidency points out that there is a need to improve the effectiveness of the mechanisms supporting the transformational objectives of cohesion policy. In the discussion of its future, there are ideas aimed at reforming the implementation mechanisms with the approach used in the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) implemented since 2021 as a response to the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and to support the transformation processes of economies.
Download — EESC section opinion: Strengthening the results orientation of post-2027 cohesion policy – challenges, risks and opportunities
As part of the EESC's cross-cutting package of own-initiative opinions, this opinion will propose policy recommendations concerning Europe's reindustrialisation as an opportunity for businesses, employees and citizens in the context of the cost of living crisis.
The EU Youth Test at the EESC is being applied to this opinion. The Human Development Research Initiative (HDRI) was chosen by a group of interested youth organisations to represent all of them during the opinion-making process.
Ongoing (updated on 18/02/2025) - Bureau decision date: 24/10/2024
The EESC welcomes the proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation (DAC9) and points out that legal certainty and clarity for multinational corporations and tax administrations can only be ensured by creating a single set of uniform rules applicable to all Member States. The Committee deems it crucial that information collected under DAC9 be used only and exclusively as intended by the Commission proposal and not for other purposes.
Download — EESC section opinion: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation (DAC9)
This Own-Initiative Opinion is proposed by the Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law (FRRL).
Violence against women is the ultimate expression of discrimination against women. It represents a control mechanism that stems from inequality between women and men while at the same time reinforcing and perpetuating this inequality. Not only does this undermine equal coexistence between men and women, it also constitutes an attack on the values and principles enshrined in Article 2 of the TEU. In the 2023 State of the Union address, Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen stressed that "there can be no true equality without freedom from violence".
Download — EESC section opinion: Violence against women as a human rights issue: state of play of measures across the EU
In view of Europe's current security challenges, in particular with the armed conflict caused by Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, defence funding places a significant burden on the budgets of many EU Member States, worsening their fiscal position.
At the same time, the resources that Member States are currently able to allocate to the development of defence capabilities still seem to be insufficient.
As Europe needs to develop defence capabilities in a more integrated way, there is a need to significantly increase investment in European defence infrastructure and technological innovation to improve preparedness to respond to threats.
Download — EESC section opinion: Defence funding in the EU
With the launch of the 2025 European Semester cycle the European commission has published the "2025 European Semester - Autumn package" in December 2024. The 2025 European Semester - Autumn Package outlines economic and social policy priorities for the EU to ensure sustainable prosperity and competitiveness. It highlights the EU’s recent resilience while emphasizing the need to address structural barriers to growth. The EU is committed to ensure sustainable prosperity and competitiveness while strengthening its social market economy and safeguarding its sovereignty, economic security and global influence. The EESC's opinion on the 2025 European Semester - Autumn package is due to be adopted at the EESC plenary session of February 2025.
The future Polish Presidency has asked the EESC to develop an exploratory opinion, as deepening the integration of the services sector in the EU is one of the planned priorities of this Presidency; therefore the opinion could be useful in the context of the discussions foreseen at the COMPET Council on 6 March 2025. As the single market for services is still incomplete - even after the 30th anniversary of the single market itself - the opinion aims at providing a diagnosis of this issue and an analysis of the significant untapped potential of this sector.
Download — EESC section opinion: The services sector in the European Union
The upcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU requested this exploratory opinion given that at present, consumers are experiencing dynamic changes due to the development of digital technologies and the green transition. In order to ensure a high level of consumer protection, it is necessary to respond adequately to changes in the consumer environment and to take action in response to current long-term challenges.
Download — EESC section opinion: Consumer protection and the impact of the digital and green transitions on consumers
