Economic recovery and youth employment top EESC agenda ahead of EU presidency change

For its 500^th plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will hold a timely vote on the completion of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and presents the results of a study on youth unemployment - a first in assessing the effectiveness of EU policies in bringing young generations back into the labour market. 

500^th EESC plenary Session
9-10 July 2014
Charlemagne building (European Commission), De Gasperi room, Brussels

Watch the plenary session live here and on EbS. Full agenda here.

Completing the economic and monetary union

This opinion calls on the new European legislature to urgently establish a road map for the completion of EMU, ensured by a robust governance structure of the eurozone and based on:

• A monetary and financial pillar with a full banking union and a complete ECB mandate;
• an economic pillar fostering competitiveness, convergence and European solidarity;
• a social pillar to fully take into account the social effects of economic adjustments, and;
• a political pillar to restore confidence and enhance democratic legitimacy.

An immediate step in the roadmap would be to implement a real, investment-driven European plan for growth, jobs and stability. More

- The vote will be preceded by a debate on 9 July at 3.30 pm with Edmond Alphandéry, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and former French Minister for Economic Affairs and Peter Bofinger, member of the German Council of Economic Experts.

Study: Implementation of EU policies for youth employment: a civil society perspective: Mrs Schweng, president of the Labour Market Observatory

The EESC Labour Market Observatory (LMO) has carried out a study on the impact of the EU's youth employment policies in six Member States (Greece, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Finland) in close cooperation with national workers, employers and youth organisations. It highlights some clear-cut solutions and best practices that work, notably in terms of the links between education and the labour market, implementation of the "Youth Guarantee" scheme and the involvement of organised civil society in reforms. More

Other opinions to be discussed and put to the vote during the plenary session:

• Long-term financing of the European economy – Mr Smyth and Mr. Farrugia
• Finance for business / alternative supply mechanisms – Mr Smyth
• Structural reform of EU banks – Mr Iozia
• Crowd funding in the EU – Mr Mendoza Castro
• Institutions for occupational retirement pensions (follow-up) – Mr Pater and Mr Dandea
• A new EU forest strategy – Mr Kallio and Mr Burns
• Digital society: access, education, training, employment, tools for equality – Mrs Caño Aguilar
• European immigration policy and relations with third countries – Mr Gkofas and Mr Pariza Castaños
• Enhancing the transparency and inclusiveness of the EU accession process – Mrs Škrabalo

The 500^th plenary will also welcome:

Five young people with ideas for the future of Europe

The presentation of five initiatives crafted by young Europeans during the event Your Europe, Your Say will open this special plenary session.

EU Presidency: Goodbye Greece – Welcome Italy

The plenary will also look at the results of Greece's EU presidency with Kyriakos Gerontopoulos, Greek Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (10 July, 09h30) and have an outlook on the priorities of the Italian presidency with Sandro Gozi, Secretary of State for European Affairs (10 July, 11h30).

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