THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

What is the EESC and what does it do?

The EESC is an advisory assembly. It consists of representatives of the various economic and social fields in organised civil society, and has as its main task to advise the three major bodies (European Parliament, Council of the European Union and European Commission). The Committee prepares an average of 150 opinions a year on the widest variety of topics in connection with European unity. This makes it an active participant in policy-making and in the decision-making process of the European Community.

Composition

The EESC has 344 members, organised into three groups: "Employers", "Employees" and the "Various Interests" Group. However, the composition of the Committee is not static: it changes as the Committee is renewed every four years, in order to give a better reflection of the development of organised civil society in each of the Member States. The most recent four-yearly renewal of the EESC took place in October 2006.
Dimitris DIMITRIADIS is the President of the European Economic and Social Committee.

Working method

The EESC consists of six sections:

• Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO);

• The Single Market, Production and Consumption (INT);

• Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN);

• Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC);

• Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT);

• External Relations (REX).

The opinions of the Committee are drafted by rapporteurs, who can generally rely on the support of a study group. Their members are selected from the three groups according to the expertise required for the particular subject area, and with a certain geographical balance being guaranteed. The size of these study groups is determined in line with the importance of the topic, and varies between 3 and 18 members. In addition, the rapporteurs may call on external experts for advice.
The European Commission’s report on the opinions by the Committee show that two thirds of the recommendations by the EESC are taken into consideration. Its field of influence very often extends beyond the context of the Commission proposal which was the subject of the Committee’s opinion. The opinions issued by the Committee on its own initiative are particularly interesting: many times, this initiative can help to raise the awareness of the European Union’s decision-making bodies, in particular the Commission, of a topic to which they have previously paid little or no attention.