EESC proposals for post-COVID-19 crisis reconstruction and recovery

“The EU must be guided by the principle of being considered a community of common destiny”

  • Resolution based on work of Subcommittee on post-COVID-19 recovery and reconstruction
  • Adopted by the European Economic and Social Committee on 11 June 2020

The EESC warmly welcomes and supports the proposals of the European Commission: the Next Generation EU plan and the overall EU budget for 2021-2027. In this statement we outline what the proposals for recovery and reconstruction after the coronavirus crisis should achieve in our view.

The EESC is convinced that recovery from the effects of the coronavirus crisis will only be successful if it is accompanied by the restructuring of our society: we need to focus on reconstruction as well as on recovery.

We cannot simply restore what existed in the past: we need to restructure and improve it. For the EESC, restructuring and improvement will have to be based on the principles underpinning all our work: protecting human and social rights, democratic values and the rule of law, unlock the full potential of the Single Market, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), creating a circular economy and achieving climate neutrality in the EU by 2050 at the latest. We must also ensure good governance and democratic accountability. It is also imperative to understand why certain social groups were left more vulnerable during the crisis, both in terms of insufficient protection against contagion and loss of livelihood, and to work to limit such vulnerability going forward.

Learn more by clicking on:

https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/news-media/press-releases/eesc-proposals-post-covid-19-recovery-and-reconstruction-towards-new-societal-model