What changed

1. Grants the Secretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the of the European Economic and Social Committee for the financial year 2024 / Postpones its decision on granting the Secretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Economic and Social Committee for the financial year 2024;

I. Whereas, pursuant to Articles 300 and 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Economic and Social Committee is a consultative body whose mandate is primarily to issuing opinions;

5. Commends the Committee for the fact that its budget implementation of current year commitment appropriations increased further from 98,70 % in 2023 to 99,21 % in 2024, thanks to the successful monitoring of its budget implementation, but also due to a high inflation rate impacting staff salaries and building costs; notes, in that context, the Committee’s reallocation efforts through budgetary transfers totalling EUR 2 487 139 (representing 1,51 % of its 2024 budget) across various budget lines, with the most significant increases relating to the operation and maintenance of software systems (+ EUR 519 682) and buildings (+ EUR 421 880); notes further with satisfaction that the current year payment appropriations execution rate increased from 88,12 % in 2022 and 90,67 % in 2023 to 92,85 % in 2024 and the average payment time decreased from 20,14 days in 2023 to 16,06 days in 2024, which is the Committee’s best performance since 2021;

5. Notes the Committee’s shift from a spending-oriented approach towards resource management and prioritisation, as reflected in the Strategic Financial Package endorsed by the Committee’s Bureau and the introduction of prioritisation exercises; observes that those measures aim to improve financial governance and align budgetary decisions with strategic objectives; notes efforts to reduce administrative burden and streamline processes in pursuit of cost-effectiveness; calls on the Committee to further consolidate this approach by integrating performance indicators and foresight planning into its annual financial cycle;

6. Notes that the carry-over of appropriations from 2023 to 2024 amounted to EUR 13 827 713 or 8,38 % of the Committee’s budget for 2024, which represents a decrease from the previous year’s level of EUR 15 466 316 (i.e. 9,74 % of the Committee’s budget for 2023); notes further that the rate of implementation of the appropriations carried over from 2023 to 2024 was 84,74 % in 2024, lower than in 2023 (i.e. 86,76 %);

6. Commends the Committee on its high level of budget implementation of current year commitment appropriations which increased from 98,70 % in 2023 to 99,21 % in 2024, thanks to the successful monitoring of its budget implementation, but also due to a high inflation rate impacting staff salaries and building costs; notes, in that context, the Committee’s reallocation efforts through budgetary transfers totalling EUR 2 487 139 (representing 1,51 % of its 2024 budget) across various budget lines, with the most significant increases relating to the operation and maintenance of software systems (+ EUR 519 682) and buildings (+ EUR 421 880); notes further with satisfaction that the current year payment appropriations execution rate increased from 88,12 % in 2022 and 90,67 % in 2023 to 92,85 % in 2024 and the average payment time decreased from 20,14 days in 2023 to 16,06 days in 2024, which is the Committee’s best performance since 2021; encourages the continuation of efficient monitoring, cost containment, and strategic reallocation to ensure value for money and transparency;

7. Notes that on 21 September 2024, the Council adopted a new decision on the granting of daily allowances to and the reimbursement of travel expenses of Committee members and their alternates, whereby the daily allowance for beneficiaries attending in-person meetings is set at EUR 367 (up from EUR 290) and the daily allowance for beneficiaries attending meetings remotely by electronic means is set EUR 149 (up from EUR 145); notes from the Questionnaire that in 2024 the Committee reimbursed for remote participation EUR 259 669 (EUR 294 930 in 2023), the equivalent of 1 744 meeting days (2 006 meeting days in 2023), while the total amount of flat-rate allowances paid for participation in meetings in person was EUR 6 579 196 in 2024 (up from EUR 5 902 963 in 2023); notes further that the Committee has a system in place to confirm the actual attendance of remote participation in meetings through electronic means; considers that, although remote attendance is an important instrument for modern institutions - reducing meeting costs and enabling broader participation - the allocation of an allowance for participating remotely in meetings, even if reduced and limited to certain types of events, is difficult for the public to understand;

7. Notes that the carry-over of appropriations from 2023 to 2024 amounted to EUR 13 827 713 or 8,38 % of the Committee’s budget for 2024, which represents a decrease from the previous year’s level of EUR 15 466 316 (i.e. 9,74 % of the Committee’s budget for 2023); notes further that the rate of implementation of the appropriations carried over from 2023 to 2024 was 84,74 % in 2024, lower than 86,76 % in 2023;

8. Notes that on 21 September 2024, the Council adopted a new decision on the granting of daily allowances to and the reimbursement of travel expenses of Committee members and their alternates, whereby the daily allowance for beneficiaries attending in-person meetings is set at EUR 367 (up from EUR 290) and the daily allowance for beneficiaries attending meetings remotely by electronic means is set EUR 149 (up from EUR 145); notes from the Questionnaire that in 2024 the Committee reimbursed EUR 259 669 (EUR 294 930 in 2023) for remote participation, the equivalent of 1 744 meeting days (2 006 meeting days in 2023), while the total amount of flat-rate allowances paid for in-person participation in meetings was EUR 6 579 196 in 2024 (up from EUR 5 902 963 in 2023); calls on the Committee to strengthen transparency and proportionality of the system on the remote participation allowance in order to reinforce the public trust and stresses that financial compensation for remote attendance must be strictly justified; notes further that the Committee has a system in place to confirm the actual attendance of remote participation in meetings through electronic means; considers that remote attendance is an important instrument and a valuable tool for modern institutions - reducing meeting costs and enabling broader participation - such as allowance for participating remotely in meetingsI; welcomes the Committee’s approach to allocating allowances for remote participation in a fair and proportionate manner, reflecting members’ responsibilities and preparations requirement; recalls that members of the Committee do not receive a salary for their mandate;

10. Notes from the Questionnaire that Committee’s staff carried out 415 missions (300 in 2023) for a total amount of EUR 448 655 in 2024 which represents a 25 % increase compared to 2023, due to an increase in the number of missions and the actual costs of flights and hotel accommodation; notes the Committee’s estimation to have saved approx. EUR 40 000 on mission costs in 2024 when applying a notional inflation rate of 21 % over the period 2020-2023 to the amount paid for missions by the Committee in 2019 (i.e. EUR 402 097), pre-COVID; appreciates the Committee’s policy to keep annual mission expenditure to a strict minimum; notes that the Committee’s President carried out missions totalling 88 days in 2024 (up from 69 days in 2023) for a total cost of approx. EUR 113 000 (up from approx. EUR 72 000 in 2023), whereas such missions were necessary for the President’s participation in international forums, Union-level initiatives and other events that required the Committee’s active participation;

11. Calls on the Committee’s administration to actively identify and implement cost-saving measures, including through the increased use of hybrid meeting technologies, the optimisation of building usage, the consolidation of parliamentary activities and the reduction of unnecessary logistical expenses; requests regular progress reports on the measures implemented and savings achieved;

11. Notes from the Questionnaire that the Joint Directorate for Innovation and Information Technology (DIIT) of the Committee and the CoR allocates some 4 % of its IT budget to cybersecurity (up from 3 % in 2023) which is still far from the 10 % target foreseen in the relevant legislation; reiterates its call to the co-legislators and the Commission to take this into account in the framework of the annual budgetary procedure; acknowledges the need of the Committee to deploy a cybersecurity upgrade for both committees for a total amount of approx. EUR 1,2 million, which would bring cybersecurity spending to 10 % of the Committee’s total IT budget;

12. Notes from the Questionnaire that Committee’s staff carried out 415 missions (300 in 2023) for a total amount of EUR 448 655 in 2024 which represents a 25 % increase compared to 2023, due to an increase in the number of missions and the actual costs of flights and hotel accommodation; notes the Committee’s estimation to have saved approximately EUR 40 000 on mission costs in 2024 when applying a notional inflation rate of 21 % over the period 2020-2023 to the amount paid for missions by the Committee in 2019 (i.e. EUR 402 097), pre-COVID; appreciates the Committee’s policy of keeping annual mission expenditure to a strict minimum; notes that the Committee’s President carried out missions totalling 88 days in 2024 (up from 69 days in 2023) with a total cost of approximately EUR 113 000 (up from approximately EUR 72 000 in 2023), whereas such missions were necessary to allow for the Committee President’s participation in international forums, Union-level initiatives and other events that required the Committee’s active participation;

13. Notes from the Questionnaire that the Joint Directorate for Innovation and Information Technology (DIIT) of the Committee and the CoR allocates some 4 % of its IT budget to cybersecurity (up from 3 % in 2023) which is still far from the 10 % target foreseen in the relevant legislation; reiterates its call to the co-legislators and the Commission to take this into account in the framework of the annual budgetary procedure; acknowledges the need of the Committee to deploy a cybersecurity upgrade for both committees for a total amount of approximately EUR 1,2 million, which would bring cybersecurity spending to 10 % of the Committee’s total IT budget;

12.14. Acknowledges that the Committee plays a fundamental role in contributing to the Union’s policy development and decision-making processes by representing the voices of all areas of organised civil society within the Union, thus bringing EuropeUnion closer to its citizens and increasing the democratic legitimacy of Union legislation; Recallsrecalls that as part of its annual work programme, the Committee has a performance monitoring system with indicators in various areas, such as IT, HR, translation and communication structured around five core values and five key strategic objectives, in the framework of the general secretariat’s strategy for 2021-2025; considers, however, that the added value of its activities for Union citizens remains largely under-reported; notes with satisfaction from the Committee’s follow-up to observations in Parliament’s 2023 discharge resolution (the ‘Follow-up report’) and the Questionnaire that, following an audit, the Committee launched a structured process to improve its performance monitoring by aligning its performance framework with strategic objectives through key performance indicators and impact indicators to be aligned with the Committee’s future strategic goals,goals; welcomes the Committee’s efforts to integrate impact measurement into its decision-making and calls for clear quantifiable key performance indicators and regular reporting to ensure measurable results and accountability; invites the Committee to further strengthen its impact assessment framework by better demonstrating how its opinions and initiatives translate into concrete policy outcomes and tangible benefits for citizens, whereas the Committee’s senior management will play a key role in the use of those indicators; expects to be informed of the outcome of the implementation of this new framework by means of Committee’s future reporting to the discharge authority;

13.15. Notes that the Committee pursues its mission through opinions, which refer to legislative proposals made by the Commission (referrals), own-initiative opinions, which call on the Union institutions to take action, and exploratory opinions, which feed into the Commission’s work on its planned initiatives, and that the Committee’s positions can be highlighted in resolutions or included in evaluation and information reports; commends the Committee for its performance in assisting Parliament, the Council and the Commission in the legislative cycle in 2024; notes in this context that, in 2024, the Committee adopted 142 opinions and reports, a decrease from 213 in 2023 and organised 148 hearings and 26 conferences, compared to 146 and 24 respectively in 2023, respectively; acknowledges that the renewal of the legislature in 2024 led to a reduced number of referrals and, consequently, of the number of opinions adopted by the Committee that year; notes that Committee members participated in 518 high-level meetings, summits and conferences in 2024 compared to 429 in 2023; encourages the prioritisation of initiatives that support economic growth, competitiveness, and Union strategic autonomy;

16. Encourages the Committee to continue its efforts to focus its work on areas where it can deliver clear, measurable and policy-relevant contributions, and to further develop performance and impact-based indicators that go beyond activity-based outputs and better reflect outcomes and relevance for citizens;

16. Notes with appreciation that the Committee advanced several flagship initiatives that strengthened participation, inclusion and policy impact across the Union; notes that the Committee took the lead as of September 2024 in applying the EU Youth Test in its opinion-making process, involving a network of 73 youth organisations and youth-testing around 40 opinions; notes further that the Committee expanded its engagement with candidate countries through the Enlargement Candidate Member initiative, enabling 146 civil society representatives to contribute directly to the Committee’s opinions, through participation in study groups, section meetings and plenary (held in October 2024); commends the Committee for advancing its EU Blue Deal, helping place water resilience on the Union’s agenda; underlines that the Committee continued to lead the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, and co-organised the EU Organic Awards in 2024, reinforcing links with civil society actors in organic farming;

19. Appreciates the Committee’s actions taken in 2024 to improve the accessibility, clarity and usability of its opinions for the Union institutions; underlines that such actions are intended to enhance the capacity of legislators to take informed decisions;

17. Notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire the Committee’s actions to reduce administrative burden and streamline processes in 2024; welcomes in this sense the launch of a new, more efficient visitor registration programme, the use of collaborative software by some of its staff, the cross-directorate working group that governs the use of Committee’s business process management methodology, the simplification of the verification circuit with regard to outsourced translations, the merging of several language units, and the simplification of Committee’s communication rules, among other; notes with interest, that in order to save resources, the Committee is undertaking a pilot phase using artificial intelligence (AI) to transform the Directorate for Translation; invites the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed of the progress in this matter;

20. Notes with appreciation that the Committee advanced several flagship initiatives that strengthened participation, inclusion and policy impact across the Union; notes that the Committee took the lead as of September 2024 in applying the EU Youth Test in its opinion-making process, involving a network of 73 youth organisations and youth-testing around 40 opinions; welcomes and supports the Committee’s initiatives to strengthen the participation of young people in the policy-making process; notes that the Committee expanded its engagement, with an inclusive dialogue initiative with candidate countries for future enlargement preparation, through the Enlargement Candidate Member initiative, enabling 146 civil society representatives to contribute directly to the Committee’s opinions, through participation in study groups, section meetings and plenary (held in October 2024); commends the Committee for advancing its EU Blue Deal, helping place water resilience on the Union’s agenda; underlines that the Committee continued to lead the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, and co-organised the EU Organic Awards in 2024, reinforcing links with civil society actors in organic farming; encourages the Committee to extend the scope of the opinions to encompass further public goods related to Union legislation, and measurable outcomes;

18. Notes with interest from the Questionnaire the Committee’s efforts to adopt a more strategic approach to prioritising its impact-related work and introduce impact management at the centre of decision-making; notes, in this context, the organisation of three high-level strategic seminars with political leadership in 2024 and 2025, during which foresight exercises were a the core of developing criteria for prioritising or de-prioritising initiatives and for ensuring thematic alignment with the long-term needs of civil society, among other objectives; notes that this prioritisation exercise will be integrated into the Committee’s core activities, as it will be conducted annually and complemented, every 2,5 years, by a review of all the Committee’s bodies, activities, and major events;

21. Invites the Committee to enhance the development of a comprehensive digital transformation strategy, covering artificial intelligence (AI), bearing in mind the need to ensure the human oversight of the use of AI. The strategy should also cover automation, interoperability and data governance, while accompanied by a robust framework ensuring safe, ethical, responsible and transparent use of emerging technologies;

19. Notes with regard to the 2024 compliance exercise a high level of compliance with an average rate of 85 (87 % in 2023); regrets that the effectiveness of the internal control system dropped from 78 % to 66 %; notes in this context a gap between formal compliance and practical effectiveness in daily operations; notes that efforts need to be made with regard to internal communication, risk awareness engagement and modernisation of document and information management systems, among other; notes further that in 2024 the Committee adopted a revised decision, for the simplification of 23 types of verifications, applicable as of January 2025; welcomes from the Questionnaire the fact that the ex-post controls already carried with regard to these verifications confirmed that the simplification did not introduce additional risks;

22. Notes with interest from the Questionnaire the Committee’s efforts to adopt a more strategic approach to prioritising its impact-related work and introduce impact management at the centre of decision-making; notes, in this context, the organisation of three high-level strategic seminars with political leadership in 2024 and 2025, during which foresight exercises were the core of developing criteria for prioritising or de-prioritising initiatives and for ensuring thematic alignment with the long-term needs of civil society, among other objectives; notes that this prioritisation exercise will be integrated into the Committee’s core activities, as it will be conducted annually and complemented, every 2,5 years, by a review of all the Committee’s bodies, activities, and major events;

20. Notes Committee’s annual activity report for 2024 (the ‘Committee’s report’) that five new audits were carried out in 2024 on duration and distance allowance, risk management, referrals, key activity and performance indicators and travel expenses – which led to a total of 14 recommendations; notes in particular the internal auditor’s findings with regard to duration and distance allowances, such as a lack of clear definition of “usual place of residence” and missing requirements for supporting documentation; notes further that 13 of the recommendations remained open at the end of January 2025; notes further that seven recommendations are still open from previous audits, in particular on ethics and integrity, payment times, meeting authorisations, Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) delegates and strategic cycle; welcomes in that context the fact that the Committee has adopted new rules on meeting authorisations, allowances and reimbursements; invites the Committee to continue keeping the discharge authority informed of the progress made in the implementation of all ongoing recommendations;

23. Notes with regard to the 2024 compliance exercise a high level of compliance with an average rate of 85 % (87 % in 2023); regrets that the effectiveness of the internal control system dropped from 78 % in 2023 to 66 % in 2024; notes in that context a gap between formal compliance and practical effectiveness in daily operations; calls on the Committee to address the structural causes of the decline in internal control effectiveness, notably by strengthening risk-awareness culture, improving internal communication channels, and accelerating the modernisation of document and information management systems, among other; notes further that in 2024 the Committee adopted a revised decision, for the simplification of 23 types of verifications, applicable as of January 2025; welcomes the fact that the ex-post controls already carried with regard to those verifications confirmed that the simplification did not introduce additional risks;

24. Notes from Committee’s annual activity report for 2024 (the ‘Committee’s report’) that five new audits were carried out in 2024 on duration and distance allowance, risk management, referrals, key activity and performance indicators and travel expenses – which led to a total of 14 recommendations; notes in particular the internal auditor’s findings with regard to duration and distance allowances, such as a lack of clear definition of “usual place of residence” and missing requirements for supporting documentation; notes further that 13 of the recommendations remained open at the end of January 2025; notes further that seven recommendations are still open from previous audits, in particular on ethics and integrity, payment times, meeting authorisations, Consultative Commission on Industrial Change delegates and strategic cycle; welcomes in that context the fact that the Committee has adopted new rules on meeting authorisations, allowances and reimbursements; invites the Committee to ensure the rapid closure of all outstanding audit recommendations, particularly those related to allowances, ethics and integrity, and to continue keeping the discharge authority informed of the progress made in the implementation of all ongoing recommendations;

21.25. Notes that, at the end of 2024, the Committee was employing 713 staff, compared to 707 in 2023; notes further that 48 contract agents and 144 temporary agents (of which 42 were recruited in 2024) were employed in 2024 (compared to 49 contract agents and 130 temporary agents in 2023); stresses the importance of providing permanent contracts in order to maintain skills, continuity and productive and stable working environment;environment, and warns against an excessive reliance on external service providers; notes, in addition, that the Committee was employing 10 service providers and 14 external staff working intra-muros, excluding those in the fields of catering, maintenance, security and safety; takes note that the occupation rate was 96 % (95,50 % in 2023) and that staff turnover rate was 5,60 % in 2024 (down from 7 % in 2023);

24.28. Notes that, in 2024, the Committee was employing staff representing all EUUnion nationalities, with some of them being overrepresented; notes with satisfaction that 62,70 % of the staff were women and 37,30 % were men; notes from the Follow-up report that women hold 52 % of the management positions making the Committee a frontrunner in that regard; reiterates its welcoming of the appointment of a female Secretary-General in January 2024 as a positive step towards achieving gender balance; acknowledges recent progress in embedding gender equality and diversity as strategic priorities to foster an inclusive and respectful workplace culture; welcomes the implementation of a diversity and inclusion strategy and action plan, targeted mentoring and leadership development programmes for women and underrepresented groups; regrets however that the percentage of women in senior management remained low in 2024, with only two out of seven senior management positions currently being held by women, the same as in 2023; acknowledges that the low turnover rate inherent to the Committee’s size is one of the reasons for the low share of women in those positions; welcomes the Committee’s commitment to raise awareness on this issue among appointing authorities, to promote gender-balanced appointmentsappointments, and to engage in targeted actions through the Women’s Forum and the Management Forum which support leadership development and career progression for women in middle management;

25.29. Recalls the Committee’s initiative to introduce a new approach to strategic workforce planning and staff allocation, leveraging data collection on staff skills, active listening across the organisation, and reflections on strategic priorities by the Committee’s political bodies; notes from the Follow-up report that this new type of planning will be kicked off through a pilot project in a limited number of services selected based on strategic priorities; invites the Committee to keep the discharge authority informed of progress and subsequent developments; stresses the importance of strategic workforce planning to optimize resource allocation and ensure alignment with high-level priorities;

33. Welcomes the strong and structured social dialogue in organisational change processes throughout 2024; encourages the Committee to maintain and further strengthen the systematic involvement of staff representatives in reforms related, inter alia, to digitalisation, internal reorganisation and new working methods;

31.36. Notes from the Questionnaire that two cases of alleged harassment were reported in 2024, and investigated and closed in 2025, whereas in one case there wase no finding of harassment and in the other a formal apology was accepted for inappropriate behaviour of the concerned person; notes further that a decision was taken on another case, submitted before 2024, on harassment linked to a disciplinary procedure; notes further that no sexual harassment was reported in 2024; reiterates the need for a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment to ensure the protection of staff well-being and recalls that this is an obligation incumbent on any employer;

33.38. Notes with satisfaction that the Committee is a frontrunner with regard to transparency, as the first body, beyond the initial signatories, to have joined the Union’s Transparency Register; welcomes the transparency measures adopted by the Committee, including the recommendation for the Committee’s members to meet only with registered stakeholders, the obligation for its members to publish their meetings online and the possibility for the Committee’s rapporteurs, including through a pilot project initiated in 2025, to attach a “legislative footprint” to their opinions; notes that by now Committee’s opinions are visible as milestones within legislative files in the EULT; notes further with satisfaction from the Questionnaire the Committee’s transparency actions with regard to its core administrative operations in areas such as finance, procurement, HR and access to documents;

36.41. Notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire that the CommitteeCommittee, following Parliament’s previous calls, drafted an anti-fraud strategy that includes the accompanying action plan with concrete measures to be implemented covering training policies, as well as awareness campaigns and revised cooperation agreements with OLAF and EPPO, which has been submitted to interservice consultation and adoption process; invites the Committee to inform the discharge authority on the follow-up thereto; welcomes the fact that the Committee organised two training sessions delivered by OLAF staff on fraud awareness and prevention in public procurementprocurement, which were attended by 21 participants and one awareness-raising session organised together with the EPPOEPPO, to familiarise the Committee’s staff with the EPPO’s mandate and provide guidance on how to report potential cases to the EPPO; invites the Committee to strengthen its procedures on risk assessment, prevention, detection and follow-up in the implementation of the anti-fraud strategy;

37.42. Notes that the combined IT budget of the Committee and the CoR was EUR 13 700 000 in 2022,2024, compared to EUR 12 700 000 in 2023, i.e. an increase of 7,87 %, whereas EUR 760 000 of that budget (or approx.(approximately 6 % thereof)%) was paid for cybersecurity in 2024; notes from the Questionnaire that IT project funding increased by EUR 109 000 compared to 2023, representing a 4 % rise, primarily supporting the M365 Workplace Programme and the Cybersecurity Transformation Programme; further notes that equipment expenditure grew by EUR 117 000 (i.e. a 20 % increase), mainly due to price adjustments and strategic investments in telephony infrastructure; acknowledges the Committee’s concern that it is structurally underfunded in the areas of digitalisation and cybersecurity;cybersecurity and warns that persistent underinvestment in cybersecurity poses a structural risk to the integrity of the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies; calls on the Committee to adapt a structured roadmap to progressively reach the 10% cybersecurity spending benchmark, including annual milestones, risk-based prioritisation and regular reporting to the discharge authority; stress the need for strengthened cooperation with Cybersecurity Service for the Union Institutions, Bodies, Offices and Agencies (CERT-EU) and Union institutions, bodies offices and agencies to ensure a coherent and resilient cybersecurity posture ; regrets in this context that the budgetary authority did not include in the Union’sUnion budget for 2026 the amount of EUR 1 176 000 necessary for the Committee (and the CoR) to operate a major cybersecurity upgrade, thereby rendering unachievable the target referred to in Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2023/2841 of dedicating around 10 % of its total IT expenditure to cybersecurity; calls for appropriate funds to allow the Committee and the CoR to operate a major cybersecurity upgrade;

43.48. Commends Committee’s efforts in 2024 to ensure that staff acquire the digital skills needed for an increasingly digitalised work environment and for implementing targeted information campaigns, offering a comprehensive training and coaching programme, and maintaining an up-to-date IT Knowledgeknowledge Basebase with an AI-powered interface to support staff development; encourages trainings on cybersecurity and safe, ethical and efficient use of AI;

60.65. Notes that the Committee plays a pivotal role in reinforcing the links with and between the national economic and social councils (NESCs) of the Member States; notes in this context the launch of a new thematic working group composed of 13 NECS, the publication of 32 news articles and 26 executive summaries of NESC-adopted reports, the organisation of the annual meeting of presidents and secretaries-general of NESC in Brussels and a jointly organised seminar with 100 participants from European social partners, civil society organisations, representatives of Union institutions and academics in 2024; calls for continued cooperation on topics of common interest and the exchange of good practices, emphasising the vital role of civil society in addressing the Union’s current challenges;

63.68. AppreciatesWelcomes the efforts made by the Committee to increase the visibility of its work; considers, however, that further efforts are needed to ensure that communication activities clearly explain the Committee’s role and concrete contributions to Union’s presence on the ground, in a manner that is accessible and meaningful to citizens; appreciates the launch of the NaviGate platform in May 2024; notes that this platform, which feeds with weblinks the Union Publications Office’s EULT, has significantly increased the visibility of the Committee’s work and enhanced the user experience for Members, staff, visitors from other institutions, and the public, reaching 4 600 unique visitors in 2024;