The EESC welcomed representatives from candidate countries' civil society organisations at its July plenary session, announcing the initiative to appoint "Honorary Enlargement Members" and invite them to participate in daily consultative work at the Committee

As a first concrete step towards that goal, the EESC held a debate at its July plenary session on the importance of civil society in the EU enlargement process. EESC President Oliver Röpke has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) to advance the structured engagement of civil society and youth in promoting peace and prosperity in South East Europe.

The Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, commended the EESC's "Honorary Enlargement Members" initiative as a way of keeping enlargement policy high on the EU's agenda. 

The Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean, pointed out that this new initiative from the EESC was timely and would strengthen cooperation with civil society in Moldova. 

Majlinda Bregu, Secretary-General of the RCC, said, "We in the RCC cannot imagine coordinating regional efforts on the challenging Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (WB) without our Civil Society Organisations' (CSOs) Consultative Forum, nor coordinating efforts towards a regional market without our chambers of commerce [having a] strong voice". 

Bosko Savkovic, from the Union of Employers of Serbia, praised Serbian civil society for speaking up, fighting foreign disinformation and reminding Serbians of the prospect of EU membership. 

Oleksandr Yavorskyi, from the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, said: "Ukraine made the choice to start its journey to become a member of the EU long before the war started. Ukraine's social partners and civil society now need the right training to help them in the EU accession process".

Anisa Subashi, Vice President of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania, underlined the role of trade unions in strengthening social dialogue, especially at a time when the Albanian government was making efforts to shrink civic space. 

Both Dajana Cvjetkovic, Centre for Promotion of Civil Society, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Daliborka Uljarevic, Executive Director, Centre for Civic Education in Montenegro, supported the role of civil society in the enlargement process. "We are the backbones of our society and the aspirations of our citizens. We are the closest allies of the EU institutions and this initiative will further deepen our cooperation", said Ms. Uljarevic. (mt)