14th EESC Civil Society Prize 2024

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is a consultative body of the European Union (EU) established in 1958. It is an advisory assembly composed of “social partners”, namely: employers (employers’ organisations), employees (trade unions) and representatives of various other interests. Its seat, which it shares with the Committee of the Regions, is the Jacques Delors building on Belliardstraat / Rue Belliard 99 in Brussels. Once known by the acronym “EcoSoc”, the body is now referred to as the “EESC”, to avoid confusions with the United Nations ECOSOC.

The European Economic and Social Committee was established by the Treaty of Rome of 1957 in order to unite different economic interest groups to establish a Single Market. The creation of this committee gave them an institution to allow their voices to be heard by the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. The EESC declares itself to be “a bridge between Europe and organised civil society”.

The Committee adopts on average 170 opinions a year on a wide range of subjects concerning European integration. It therefore plays an active role in the processes of shaping Community policies and preparing Community decisions.

Currently, EESC membership numbers 329. The number of members per EU state varies according to the population of each state. Members of the EESC are divided into three groups of equal number, employers, employees and a third group of various other changing interests such as: farmers, consumer groups, professional associations and so on.

The 14th EESC civil society prize will reward effective, innovative and creative initiatives carried out on the territory of the EU which support people with mental health conditions and promote an environment fostering mental well-being on an individual or collective basis.

The aim of the award is to raise awareness of the contribution that civil society can make to promoting a European identity and citizenship in a way that underpins the common values that are the foundation of European integration.