Evropski ekonomsko-socialni odbor
EESO dejavno sodeluje pri procesu širitve EU in je za svoje odnose z organizacijami civilne družbe v državah širitve razvil dvojni pristop, tj. regionalnega in dvostranskega.
Kar zadeva regionalni pristop, je glavni instrument za usklajevanje dejavnosti EESO v regiji spremljevalni odbor za Zahodni Balkan, tj. stalni notranji organ EESO. Del njegove dejavnosti je forum civilne družbe Zahodnega Balkana, organiziran vsaki dve leti.
EESO tudi dvostransko sodeluje z državami Zahodnega Balkana in Turčijo. Na podlagi pridružitvenih sporazumov med temi državami in EU je EESO z namenom, da bi organizacije civilne družbe vključil v predpristopne in pristopne procese, s predstavniki civilne družbe ustanovil tri skupne organe, in sicer s Turčijo, Črno goro in Srbijo. Vsak organ je sestavljen iz enakega števila članov iz EESO in partnerske države ter se sestane dvakrat na leto.
EESO vzdržuje redne stike in organizira skupne dejavnosti z organizacijami civilne družbe v državah širitve, s katerimi še ni bil vzpostavljen noben skupni organ predstavnikov civilne družbe.
EESO delo skupnih organov dopolnjuje s pripravo mnenj o predpristopnih in pristopnih procesih posameznih držav ter o temah v regionalnem interesu.
The Communication stresses the EU's commitment to safeguarding an online environment providing the highest possible freedom and security, for the benefit of its citizens.
This own-initiative opinion will draw upon the first-hand experiences of the non-state actors (civil society, business and trade unions) engaged in the accession negotiations between Croatia and the EU over the period 2005-11, as well as experiences of EESC members who have been engaged in the work of Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs) with accession countries over the past seven years (Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and Montenegro) as well as the Western Balkans Follow-up Committee.
The EESC welcomes the special attention devoted to drawing up a European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), in order to support cohesion and competitiveness in the light of challenges that cannot be satisfactorily resolved by single regions or countries through the usual means. The EESC believes that EUSAIR must adopt a comprehensive programme with an action-oriented list of projects and schemes, and strongly recommends that better use be made of the private sector's potential to attract investment (both local and international) and to create business opportunities. Simultaneously, the strategy should include a stronger social dimension, in order to better support inclusive growth in the Adriatic and Ionian region.
The opinion should take stock of the current situation of civil society in Serbia (legal environment, relations with the authorities, situation of social and civil dialogues) and propose recommendations for possible EU action in this field. The opinion will provide an opportunity to get the views of Serbian civil society organisations in the course of a study visit to Serbia.