Enlargement Candidate Members' Initiative

The Enlargement Candidate Members (ECMs) initiative in a nutshell

In September 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) launched the Enlargement Candidate Members (ECMs) initiative — a landmark step to involve representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) from EU candidate countries in its advisory work. With the financial support of the European Commission, the EESC has been able to turn this political priority into reality.

A pool of 147 civil society representatives from all EU candidate countries was established, with the selected participants appointed in February 2024. They now work alongside EESC Members on key EU policies.

The initiative aims to foster closer ties with candidate countries and facilitate their gradual integration into the European Union. It also makes the EESC the first EU institution to offer a concrete possibility for civil society organisations from the candidate countries to be effectively involved in the EU’s decision-making process.

During 2024 and into 2025, ECMs have already contributed to 21 EESC opinions covering a wide range of strategic areas, including European defence, cohesion policy, the single market, and the agri-food sector.

What is the EESC?

The EESC is an integral part of the EU: it was set up in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome to advise EU decision-makers and ensure that civil society organisations and networks across the continent have a say in Europe's development. The EESC is a unique forum for consultation, dialogue and consensus between representatives from all sectors of organised civil society. These organisations often act as intermediaries between decision-makers and the public, offering an avenue for people to play an active role in bringing about change or to support specific causes for the common good. The EESC's aim is to help ensure that EU policymaking and legislation is more democratic and more effective and genuinely reflects the needs of EU citizens. A significant number of EU initiatives for legislation must be submitted to the EESC for a mandatory opinion before their adoption.

Based in Brussels, the EESC is made up of 329 members from all 27 EU Member States. The members come from all social and professional backgrounds and have a vast range of knowledge and experience. They represent employers' associations, industry, chambers of commerce, associations of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), trade unions, consumers, farmers, liberal professions, disability campaigners, academia, women's rights groups, environmentalists, cooperatives, youth organisations, human rights organisations etc. In total, the EESC brings together around 250 organisations and networks at national level, representing millions of EU citizens. The EESC is made up of three groups: the Employers' Group, the Workers' Group and the Civil Society Organisations' Group.

What is the role of "enlargement candidate members" (ECMs)?

The title of "Enlargement Candidate Member" is honorary, demonstrating support and recognition for representatives of civil society in EU candidate countries, but it does not grant them the status of EESC members. As such, ECMs are distinct from EESC members, as defined in Articles 300 to 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

ECMs participate in the entire drafting process of selected EESC opinions. This includes contributing to study groups, where they provide input, understand, analyse, and comment on proposals. They also take part in section meetings and plenary sessions, which conclude the EESC's process of developing an opinion. Their contributions focus particularly on opinions related to enlargement, issues of pan-European and global importance, and flagship EESC opinions of a general nature.

The ECMs cannot represent the EESC or speak on its behalf. Furthermore, they are not assigned the roles of president of a study group or rapporteur/co-rapporteur. ECMs also do not have voting rights in section meetings or plenary sessions and cannot table amendments.

What was the selection process for becoming an "enlargement candidate member" (ECM)?

The EESC reviewed and selected candidates for ECMs. The objective was to create a pool of potential ECMs. The organisations, and the candidate(s) proposed by the organisation, were selected against the criteria set out below. The procedure for selecting ECMs differed for countries having bilateral bodies stemming from EU association agreements[2] and countries with whom there is no such body. The existing bodies serve as part of the pool of ECMs for each candidate country. Other civil society organisations were added to the pool through this procedure.

In the selection process, in order to create a pool of civil society organisations per country, the following was taken into account:

• participation of the specific organisation in national civil and social dialogue;
• participation in national or international networks;
• adherence of the organisation to the EU values enshrined in Article 2 TEU;
• the need for a gender balance and the presence of representatives of youth organisations;
• preference will be given to people who speak at least one of the official languages of the EU.

The EESC made sure to achieve a balanced and diverse pool of ECMs, representing three groups and different segments of civil society.

List of selected organisations to be included in the pool of ECMs.

Contact

For any questions on these topics, please contact the External Relations Section of the EESC: E-mail