Cap a l'Europa Inclusiva / Towards Inclusive Europe

Dialogue with the Economic and Social Committee

by

On 5 November we were welcomed at the European Economic and Social Committee, where Ms. June and Ms. Beatton received us. After leading us through a series of offices, we reached the meeting room; on the back wall one could read: “The voice of civil society organisations in Europe.” And that was precisely what had brought us there.

EESC meeting room

The voice of civil society organisations in Europe.

European Economic and Social Committee

Ms. June had been working at the Committee for years, and Ms. Beatton was doing her traineeship there. They explained to us what the Committee’s role is and how it works. The Committee is a consultative body, together with the Committee of the Regions; its task is to produce opinions at the request of the three main institutions of the European Union or on its own initiative. The EESC brings together experts in different fields who are organised into six working groups.

Outside view of the European Economic and Social Committee

But what is most interesting about the EESC, and what really brought us there, is its duty to represent civil society. They explained how the Committee is divided into three major groups: employers, workers, and civil society. In drafting its opinions, it must include all three points of view, and for this reason it usually holds meetings with representatives of all these groups.

The group showed great interest in understanding how this body works and the real impact these opinions can have. It made us reflect on whether the will of civil society is truly reflected in the legislation that is ultimately approved. The Committee’s ultimate goal is to improve European policies and legislation and make them more representative.

Towards the end, Ms. Beatton told us about her academic and professional background before starting her traineeship at the EESC. She spoke to us about job opportunities across the European Union, gave us some advice that had been useful to her, and kindly answered our questions.

At the end, we were able to approach both of them to talk about the topics we had found interesting, ask further questions, and thank them for their time.

Presentation of the EESC to the participants in the Cap a l'Europa Inclusiva project

This activity has been developed in the frames of the Youth Participation Activity project Towards Inclusive Europe - Cap a l'Europa Inclusiva, supported by the Erasmus+ programme co-funded by the European Union and Coordinated by AHEAD.

Find further information about the project in: https://aheadedu.org/en/projects/towards-inclusive-europe/

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.