Strengthening European values in candidate countries by supporting the public service sector and empowering social partners and civil society organisations

Key points

The EESC:

- recalls that EU enlargement is not merely a political and institutional process; it is fundamentally a value-based one;

- stresses that social partners and civil society organisations (CSOs) play a vital role in supporting candidate countries’ transition to EU core values: democracy, human rights, labour rights and the rule of law;

- calls on the European Commission to:

• involve social partners from candidate countries as observers to both cross-sectoral and sectoral EU-level social dialogue structures;

• strategically target EU programmes and funding to strengthen CSOs and social partners;

• promote partnerships and peer learning between social partners and CSOs from candidate countries and Member States;

• use instruments such as the Youth Guarantee, Growth Plans and the Reform Agenda to reinforce social dialogue;

• seek synergies with other actors, notably the ILO, to increase coherence and impact;

• address evident attempts to suppress the civic space and independent media and reflect these issues more prominently in the enlargement strategy and in country reports;

- highlights that public service employers and workers are key drivers of trust and democratic governance. Transparent, professional, and accountable public services are crucial for citizens’ confidence in institutions.

- recommends:

• stronger cooperation between public authorities and civil society, institutionalised within accession preparations;

• that EU bodies and institutions involve candidate countries in their work, following the good practice initiated by the EESC;

• a more effective use of EU funding to support democratic actors and reach vulnerable groups and remote areas (e.g. through regranting);

• supporting the setting-up of transparent institutionalised structures for participation and consultation, ensuring civil and social dialogue is embedded in candidate countries’ legislation;

• prioritising EU support to education systems, particularly teacher training, to foster democratic values, critical thinking and civic participation. Teacher autonomy and academic freedom must be safeguarded.