review of activities of the various interests … · tail-end of economic crisis in europe...

REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES OF THE VARIOUS INTERESTS GROUP FOR 2015

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• EESC Renewal in October

40% turnover in EESC Members

47 new Group III Members

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2015 – A YEAR OF TRANSITION

• A changing EU Institutional Environment A more political EC, package on 'Better Regulation for

Better Results' and REFIT >>>

Reduced EC legislative initiatives, more thematic legislative 'packages'

EC & EP political commitment to impact assessments, consultation mechanisms and evaluations

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• A very challenging European and Global Environment

Tail-end of economic crisis in Europe

'Explosion' of migrant & refugee crisis > negative impact on EU cohesion, coordination, self-confidence and identity

Global security threats, terrorism, increasing threats of war and unresolved military disputes on Europe's borders, increasing environmental challenges, slowdown in Chinese growth, etc.

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• Embraced a combination of consolidation, innovation, leadership, collegiality and teamwork within Group III

• Provided a platform and raised the profile of the diverse interests represented within the Group

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HOW GROUP III REACTED TO THESE CHALLENGES

• Brought to the fore new topics and policy agendas, encouraging Members to 'drive' the process

• Encouraged a culture of dialogue and compromise within the EESC

Internally Within the Group and the EESC

Externally • Continued to promote a new approach to European policy-

making, based on investment, social innovation, inclusion, sustainable development and enhanced competitiveness

• Actively engaged in making the Committee more relevant to both citizens and the European Institutions, helping to improve communication and to rebuild trust

• Strove to re-assess the future institutional framework of the EU and to enhance the role of the Committee

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HOW GROUP III REACTED TO THESE CHALLENGES

1) Consolidating Cohesion Within the Group

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PRINCIPAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2015

• October 2015 saw the culmination of a lengthy process by Group III preparing the new five-year mandate, which began in February 2015

• 245 positions within EESC permanent bodies distributed by Group III to its Members

• An increase in the number of female Group III members from 27 (2010-15 mandate) to 31 (2015-20 mandate)

Enhancing the Collegiate Approach Within the Group

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Expansion to five Vice-Presidents in new mandate (Group III VP Team)

Mr Maciulevicius, Ms Rodert, Mr Metzler, Ms Federspiel and Mr Vardakastanis

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Each Vice-President to represent a specific area of expertise and to act as a contact point for Members, relevant Categories and external stakeholders

Group III VP Team to raise awareness of the capacities of the Group

To ensure an equitable division of the work of the Presidency Group III VP Team to prepare the monthly New Works with the

assistance of the Secretariat

Enhancing the Collegiate Approach Within the Group


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Group III VP Team


Areas of expertise and responsibilities

Consumer Influence, Representation and Protection, TTIP.

SMEs, Liberal Professions, Rules of Procedure.

Rural Development, Agriculture, Bio-economy, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Food, Satellite Technology.

Social Economy, Civil dialogue, Volunteering, NGOs and Voluntary Organisations, Social Innovation.

Fundamental Rights, Non-discrimination, Social Inclusion, Social and Economic Pillars of Sustainable Development.

Name of Vice-President

Benedicte Federspiel

Arno Metzler Mindaugas Maciulevicius

Ariane Rodert Ioannis Vardakastanis

On a regular basis

• Reporting by the President of Group III to the Bureau of the Group on the decisions of the EESC Bureau and of the Enlarged Presidency

• Regular feedback to Group III on budgetary issues

• Preparatory meetings for Group III members of the Budget Group

• Regular updates on the EESC Communication Strategy to the Group

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Improving Internal Communication and Governance

Topics discussed

Work programme for 2016

Review of activities of Group III in 2015

Recommendations of Bertelsmann Stiftung study on 'Reshaping Europe‘

Review of Group III work and guidelines for the future

Proposals of the discussion panel on 'The Future of the EESC‘

Statistics on new work

Composition of Group III

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In the course of the year, two additional meetings of the Bureau and the Group took place, discussing issues of governance (16 November & 18 December)

Improving Internal Communication and Governance

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• 27 Group III Rapporteurs nominated for the period between the end of November 2014 and the end of September 2015 (compared to 29 for Group I and 24 for Group II)

• 28 Group III Presidents nominated in the same period (compared to 17 for Group I

and 28 for Group II)

2) Contributing to the Governance of the EESC


• 40 Group III members with positions of responsibility within permanent EESC bodies under the new mandate (includes 13 Group III members of the EESC Bureau)

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• Input to the EESC contribution to the EC work programme for 2016

• Active contribution to key EESC and EU political debates on Migration, REFIT and the package on 'Better Regulation for Better Results‘

• Leadership in the EU debate on the future of the EU Treaties (exploratory Opinion requested by the EP – rapporteur Mr Jahier)

• Key actors in the Civil Society Liaison Group • Group III participation in the

EESC – CoR Political Monitoring Group

Contributing to the Governance of the EESC


http://cor.europa.eu/fr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Economic_and_Social_Committee

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3) Group III as a Force for Innovation, Leadership and Networking


• 2015 saw the successful result of years of actively promoting the social economy and social innovation by Group III and the EESC:

Specific reference in the Council Conclusions of 7 December 2015 (EPSCO Council) to the Group III conference in Milan (October 2014) on social innovation (point 13 in the Council conclusions)

Adoption of EPSCO Council Conclusions 'The Promotion of the Social Economy as a Key Driver of Economic and Social Development in Europe' (December 2015)

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Group III as a Force for Innovation, Leadership and Networking


This issue was actively promoted by the Group at its meeting in Warsaw in September 2011, through EESC Opinions and EESC activities during the European Year of Volunteering.

In December 2015, the European Statistical Advisory Committee, welcomed the proposal for an EU Framework Regulation for European Statistics on Persons and Households. o The Opinion of the European Statistical Advisory Committee specifically

refers to the benefits of a common EU methodology for measuring voluntary work.

2015 also saw a very positive result in relation to the work of the Group and of the EESC on measuring the economic value of volunteering:

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Group III as a Force for Innovation, Leadership and Networking


8 thematic conferences of the Group, Bureau or Categories

Events held in 6 different locations

Two events of the Categories co-organised with the REX Section

Total of 750 participants

List of public events organised by Group III in 2015

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Date Title and Location Participants

10/02/15 Field visit to Ypres, Flanders, Belgium 65

25/03/15 Economic Growth and Social Progress in Rural and Urban Areas, Riga, Latvia 150

21/05/15 Boosting Innovation for a Better Social Outcome, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. 80

29/05/15 Can TTIP be a tool to foster the internationalisation of European SMEs?, Brussels, Belgium 50

11/06/15 The Role of Agriculture in Development Policy, Brussels, Belgium 50

23-24/06/15 Reshaping Europe: Civil Society's Perspective of the Europe of Tomorrow, Brussels, Belgium 190

07/07/15 The impact of current EU-Russia relations on the agri-food sector, Helsinki, Finland 65

02/12/15 Intermediary Europe at the Heart of the EU2020 Strategy: Bringing Europe closer to citizen,

Luxembourg

100


Category events

Group III events

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4) Group III at the Forefront of Reflections on the Future of the Group, the EESC and the EU


Group III initiated the study on 'Reshaping Europe: Civil Society Perspectives of the Europe of Tomorrow' (commissioned by the EESC to and published in September 2015)

http://www.google.be/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi04rGYudPJAhVBjw8KHSXfBoUQjRwIBw&url=http://www.asef.org/about/partners/partner/2869-bertelsmann-foundation&psig=AFQjCNF5Opwi3XJ6kOf6yJt99RqnV4hxmw&ust=1449910908213340



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Group III at the Forefront of Reflections on the Future of the Group, the EESC and the EU


Drafting a reflection document by Group III on 'The Future of the EESC', rapporteur Mr Metzler - presented to the Group on 16 November 2015

Rapporteurship of Mr Jahier for the EESC Exploratory Opinion on the future of the EU Treaties, requested by the European Parliament



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5) Group III Engaging in Dialogue and Re-building Trust Between Citizens, Civil Society and the EU


• The plethora of events organised by Group III in 2015 sought to bring Europe closer to citizens, to provide a forum for debate and to place the EESC at the centre of civil society dialogue with the EU Institutions

• In the 1st Semester 2015: 90 ‘Going Local’ events organised by or participated in by Group III Members versus only 39 in the entire 2014

• 42 individual missions of Members • 8 paid guests to Group III and Category

events



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Group III Engaging in Dialogue and Re-building Trust Between Citizens, Civil Society and the EU


• +/- 55 Speeches by the Group III President at various events

• 6 thematic debates organised with civil society organisations and other stakeholders during meetings of the Group in Brussels – same number as in 2014, despite the renewal in 2015

• 16 requests for joint meetings with Group III by European civil society organisations



Table on thematic debates at ordinary meetings of the Group

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Date Invittee Title

21/01/15 Mr Fabian Zuleeg, Director of the European Policy Centre Presentation on the 'European Investment Plan'

18/02/15 Mr Jimmy Jamar, Head of the EC Representation to Belgium Presentation on 'Europe of Today and Tomorrow,

Europe of Citizens and of Culture'

18/03/15 Mr Paul Dujardin, Director of Bozar 'Culture, Art and European Identity'

16/11/15 Mr Henning vom Stein, Director of the Brussels Office of

Bertelsmann Stiftung

Presentation of the study 'Reshaping Europe'

requested by Group III

16/11/15 Mr Luis Planas, Secretary-General of the EESC 'Inter-institutional relations and the EESC'

08/12/15 Mr Lobo Xavier, Vice-President of the EESC responsible for

Communication

'The EESC's Communication Strategy'

Table of requests for meetings

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• BEUC – European Consumers' Organisation • BirdLife Europe | European Environmental Bureau • CECOP – CICOPA Europe - The European Confederation of industrial and Service Cooperatives • CONFRONTATIONS EUROPE • DIESIS COOP • EEB - The European Environmental Bureau • ENNA – European Network of National Civil Society Associations • EUCLID NETWORK • EUNEWS • EURICSE - European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises • EUROPEAN FOREST INSTITUTE • EUSP - European Union of Social Pharmacies • PREMIER CERCLE - Event Management Company • UEAPME - European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises • UFE – Union of Finance Personnel in Europe • VLEVA - Liaison agency Flanders-Europe


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6) Group III Investing in the Categories: a Year of Continuation


The work of the four Categories managed by Group III ('SMEs & the Liberal Professions', 'Consumers and the Environment', 'Farmers' and the 'Social Economy') continued in 2015 streamlined:

3 meetings per year per Category Budget for one guest speaker per meeting Drafting of an annual work programme and end of year report Regular participation of representatives of the EC, EP and civil society



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Group III Investing in the Categories: a Year of Continuation


Significant efforts have been made in 2015 to coordinate activities with EESC Sections in 2016: Joint public hearing of the 'SMEs & Liberal

Professions' Category with the REX Section on the topic 'Can TTIP be a Tool to Foster the Internationalisation of SMEs?'

Joint event of the 'Farmers' Category with the REX Section on the subject 'The Role of Agriculture in Development Policy'



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Coordination between the 'Social Economy' Category and the REX Section on the event 'The External Dimension of the Social Economy'

Close cooperation between the 'Social Economy' Category and the INT Section, on the Social Enterprises Project of the EESC

Coordination between the 'Consumers & Environment' Category and the INT Section, on the programme for the 2016 European Day of Consumers



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Close contacts have been established with the European Institutions: During the course of 2015, the 'Consumers & Environment'

Category has worked closely with the European Commission on the 'Commission's Consumer Programme'

Both the 'Social Economy' Category and the 'SMEs & Liberal Professions' Category have consolidated links with the renewed Intergroups of the European Parliament

The 'Social Economy' Category has worked closely with the EC and the countries holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU (Latvia and Luxembourg in 2015), to jointly promote the sectors of the social economy/social enterprises in high-level Presidency events



https://www.google.be/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwju_IrcxNPJAhVDJw4KHb1zAn4QjRwIBw&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_of_the_European_Parliament.png&bvm=bv.109395566,d.ZWU&psig=AFQjCNGzwPtZq_6q8tZw1i4KsxHuI7iEhg&ust=1449914003732191

http://www.google.be/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi9ipb8xNPJAhWH-A4KHaFHDpwQjRwIBw&url=http://www.mfa.bg/en/events/73/4/1664/index.html&psig=AFQjCNF62pOPAAf-t6Q8PPMY5FjowfbF-w&ust=1449914063865118

http://www.google.be/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjOv7KQxdPJAhUGPQ8KHZCRDpkQjRwIBw&url=http://www.eu2015lu.eu/en/&psig=AFQjCNERYGEKmSfnwWA0ztz62Zciwl2elw&ust=1449914105238203

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Group III Investing in the Categories: also a Year of Change


• 2015 saw the election of new Spokespersons in the Categories (3/4 cases involving new Co-Spokespersons)

• Increasingly, the Categories have addressed topical issues, in line with the work of the European Institutions, e.g. TTIP, European Year of Development, social enterprises and social investment

• On numerous occasions the Categories have linked their work to the wider priorities of the EESC, e.g. exchanges of views on EESC Opinions, contribution to EESC participation in the UN Task Force in the Social and Solidarity Economy, the EESC European Consumer Day in 2015, etc.



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7) Group III Communicating Europe


Reporting on the EESC Communication Group at each ordinary meeting of the Group

11 of the 28 national contact points for Communication are Group III members

In 2015 Group III has enhanced its communication strategy, striving to improve internal information flows and to maximise external communication:



https://www.google.be/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj1_IvOn97JAhVB8A4KHZMtCwAQjRwIBw&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_state_of_the_European_Union&psig=AFQjCNFNqy3T7Mq1xPv2Lr0GCuJBrElvmw&ust=1450281989861982

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Group III Communicating Europe


Over 6,000 recipients of the monthly Group III newsletter 'Europe III' – more than the total number of recipients of the Committee newsletter 'EESC Info‘

14,161 hits of the Group III website in 2015



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Significant increase in followers of the Group III twitter account (an increase from 310 to 411 followers in only two months)

High number of impressions linked to Group III events (e.g. Ypres Group event: 1411 impressions ; Edinburgh seminar on social innovation: 1377 impressions ; Brussels Group conference on Reshaping Europe: 1641 impressions , etc.)

Increasing use of tweets linked to the work of Members of the Group (e.g. tweeting comments of Section Rapporteurs, interventions at the plenary, the Categories, etc.)



https://www.google.be/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi23abCz9PJAhWG2Q4KHXsbDtkQjRwIBw&url=https://about.twitter.com/press/twitter-brand-policy&psig=AFQjCNFl6-TM4DBZiG42rJittVXXqDl_vg&ust=1449916901149195

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15 EESC videos involving 10 Group III Members in 2015, out of a total of 40 videos produced by the EESC in the same year

Targeted press releases for Group III thematic events

Ad hoc interviews of the President of Group III by journalists throughout the year



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CONCLUSIONS

2015 has been a very challenging and rewarding year, balancing ambition with resources, internal and external opportunities and constraints

Despite the renewal in 2015, the Group has: 1) increased its number of events 2) exponentially its ‘going local’ events 3) substantially its communication strategy (tweets, videos,

etc). 4) maintained at the same levels the number of external

speakers at ordinary Group III meetings



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CONCLUSIONS

In 2016, Group III will continue its 'journey' through Europe for European citizens

We will make every possible effort to have a positive and lasting impact, leaving behind us a clear civil imprint

We will continue to transform the energy of each of us, turning every 'I' into a collective 'We', for when 'I' is replaced by 'We', even 'Illness' becomes 'Wellness'!



review of activities of the various interests … · tail-end of economic crisis in europe...

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