The European Economic and Social Committee − The House of European Organised Civil Society

This a textbook and reference guide, written by a former Secretary-General, to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the 350-member Brussels-based body which brings together representatives of organised civil society (employers, trade unions and other interests) from all 28 EU member states and has a consultative role with the EU legislative institutions. The book systematically explains the EESC’s powers, internal structures and procedures, and how it works with other institutions and outside stakeholders, both in theory and practice. The book includes a photo section of current and former leading figures in the EESC. The author, Martin Westlake, was Secretary-General of the EESC, 2008-2013.

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Reviews:

“The European Parliament has always found in the Committee a useful ally and source of expertise… I therefore welcome and commend this book, which sets out in a comprehensive and comprehensible way the many different activities and functions of the European Economic and Social Committee and how this venerable body works in practice. It will surely be of good use to anybody and everybody who works with the Committee.” Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament

1. A unique body: what the European Economic and Social Committee is and what it does 2. The Committee’s members 3. The Presidency 4. The Bureau and the Assembly 5. The Groups (and the Categories) 6. The Sections, the Consultative Commission, the Subcommittees, the Observatories 7. The Committee’s working methods 8. Cooperation with the EU’s institutions and other bodies 9. The EESC and national economic and social councils 10. The Committee and external relations 11. The budget 12. Civil dialogue, participatory democracy and constitutional reform 13. Communication 14. The Secretariat-General and the Committee’s buildings Bibliography Subject index Names index Photo section