At its plenary session on 17 July, the EESC held an enlargement forum focusing on Building an inclusive future in the Enlarged EU: The role of social dialogue, civil society and youth engagement. The civil society representatives from candidate countries commended the Committee’s Enlargement Candidate Members initiative as a vital tool for shaping their countries’ European integration process and bolstering public support for EU accession.

The event opened with a high-level debate featuring Maida Gorčević, Minister for European Affairs in Montenegro, Orhan Murtezani, Minister for European Affairs in North Macedonia, and Antoine Kasel, Director for Labour Mobility and International Affairs at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

The forum brought together approximately 75 representatives from social partners and civil society organisations across the EU candidate countries. It formed part of the EESC’s pioneering Enlargement Candidate Members Initiative (ECM). The project’s success has already led to additional financial backing by the European Commission for its reinforcement and permanent implementation.

EESC President Oliver Röpke said: ‘We are trying to build a successful enlargement that puts civil society in the driving seat. Enlargement is not simply a geopolitical strategy: it is a promise to uphold democracy, rights and dignity for all.’

The Minister for European Affairs of Montenegro, Ms Gorčević, highlighted the close cooperation between the government and civil society organisations in the accession process and stressed that ‘citizens are more likely to support reforms when they see members of their civil society organisations actively engaged in government policy.’

On the other hand, the Minister for European Affairs in North Macedonia, Mr Murtezani, described his country’s story as complex but transformative and added that ‘it is not easy to wait in line for 20 years, but this could be the example of resilience and persistence in achieving the final goal.’

Moved by the optimism and enthusiasm shown by the representatives of the candidate countries, Mr Kasel of the European Commission said: ‘Talking to young people is key in this process, as building social dialogue and dialogue with the EU institutions is a matter of trust.’

The EESC opinion The importance of institutionalising civil and social dialogue in EU candidate and partner countries, adopted following the discussions in the forum, calls for a genuine civil and social dialogue which must be a central pillar of the enlargement process.

The EESC members and rapporteurs for the opinion, Ionuţ Sibian, Decebal-Ștefăniță Pădure and Dumitru Fornea, stressed that a structured and properly institutionalised civil and social dialogue is essential for ensuring stability, economic development and social cohesion in candidate and partner countries. (mt)