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The 7^th meeting of the EU-Serbia Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) that took place in Belgrade on 23 October gave an opportunity to civil society organisations from both sides to examine the state of play of Serbia's accession process. Although welcoming positive economic developments in Serbia, the JCC expressed in the joint declaration its concern about "the lack of progress in the area of freedom of expression" and encouraged the Serbian authorities to "redouble their efforts to ensure respect for the rule of law, fundamental rights, judicial reform, the fight against corruption and freedom of the press".

According to an opinion adopted on 18 October 2018 by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the InvestEU proposal put forward by the European Commission in the package of regulations on the future multiannual financial framework should contribute to strengthening investment activity in the EU, thus innovation and job creation.

Measures to enhance the international competitiveness of European SMEs by reducing costs and streamlining registration and company changes through digitalisation were welcomed by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in a report adopted at its October plenary. New common rules simplifying cross border conversions, mergers and divisions also received a thumbs-up, with European civil society appreciating the Commission's wholistic approach, taking into account the impact of these processes on employees and society as a whole.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) supports the creation of the funds for asylum and migration as well as for border and visa management. In the opinion adopted at its October plenary session and drawn up by Giuseppe Iuliano, the Committee agrees with the Commission decision to increase the budget for both funds, but points out that it is inappropriate to remove the word 'integration' from the title of the migration fund: regular channels for access to the EU should also be specified.