Europos ekonomikos ir socialinių reikalų komitetas
EESRK aktyviai dalyvauja ES plėtros procese ir palaiko dvejopus – regioninius ir dvišalius – santykius su pilietinės visuomenės organizacijomis (PVO) plėtros šalyse.
Kalbant apie regioninius santykius, Vakarų Balkanų tęstinio darbo komitetas – nuolatinis EESRK vidaus organas – yra pagrindinė priemonė EESRK veiklai šiame regione koordinuoti. Kas dvejus metus rengiamas Vakarų Balkanų pilietinės visuomenės forumas yra tęstinio darbo komiteto veiklos dalis.
EESRK taip pat vykdo dvišalį bendradarbiavimą su Vakarų Balkanais ir Turkija. Remdamasis šių šalių ir ES asociacijos susitarimais ir siekdamas į pasirengimo narystei ir stojimo procesus įtraukti PVO, EESRK su Turkijos, Juodkalnijos ir Serbijos pilietinės visuomenės atstovais įsteigė tris bendrus organus. Kiekvieną organą sudaro vienodas EESRK ir šalies partnerės narių skaičius, ir jie susitinka du kartus per metus.
EESRK palaiko reguliarius ryšius ir organizuoja bendrą veiklą su plėtros šalių PVO, su kuriomis kol kas nėra įsteigto bendro pilietinės visuomenės atstovų organo.
Bendrų organų darbą papildo EESRK nuomonių dėl atskirų šalių pasirengimo stojimui ir stojimo procesų, taip pat dėl regionams aktualių temų rengimas.
The May plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted a debate led by its President Christa Schweng and the President of the European Council Charles Michel on Europe's response to this turning point in history.
EESC criticises European Council decision to deny the opening of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is deeply disappointed about EU leaders' decision to further postpone opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania at the European Council of 17-18 October, due to the lack of unanimity between the Member States.
The 7th edition of the Western Balkans Civil Society Forum, which took place in Tirana on 16 and 17 April, concluded with a call for the next Commission to maintain the Western Balkans enlargement policy as one of its priorities in the interest of both the region and of the EU.
The EESC's annual seminar for civil society communicators zoomed in on the impact of the war in Ukraine on the EU, addressing three thorny issues.
For the 8th time, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Montenegro held the Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) in Budva, Montenegro.
This meeting tackled following issues: Assessment of the state of play in Montenegro accession negotiations to the EU, Chapter 28 of the accession negotiations – with focus on Consumer protection and Debate on the situation of young people on the labour market.
For the 7th time, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Montenegro held the Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC).
The meeting was held in Brussels and tackled following issues:
- The current state of play in EU-Montenegro relations and the accession process
- The Connectivity Agenda in the areas of Energy and Transport
- Chapter 5 - Public procurement
- The state of industrial relations and the development of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Montenegro
The External Relations Section (REX) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is responsible for dialogue between European civil society organisations and their homologues from the countries with which the European Union has formal relations (e.g. under the form of a Free Trade Agreement). Through this dialogue, made possible by a series of bilateral bodies, and through specialized opinions and information reports, the Committee is able to concretely contribute to EU foreign policy.
The EESC will keep on advocating for the enlargement process to go on, in an inclusive, transparent and fair manner. Any delay due to the current turmoil in the EU has to be seen as a chance for reaching a better level of preparedness when entering the EU. But for this opportunity to be seized, the EU needs to work side by side with civil society in the region.
