Civil society: a cornerstone of the enlargement process

As the European Union advances its engagement with the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova, one thing is clear: successful enlargement depends not only on funding and reforms, but on strong civil society ownership. Civil society and social partners must be placed at the heart of this process.

In our Opinion on the role of civil society in supporting reform under the Growth Plans, we stress that all three EU Facilities for the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova should systematically embed civil society engagement as a structural governance condition. This is essential to ensure the long‑term sustainability, credibility and legitimacy of reforms linked to EU accession.

Civil society ownership of the reform agendas must go beyond ad‑hoc consultations. The EESC calls for a permanent, active, structured and formally institutionalised role for social partners and civil society organisations, working alongside national authorities. Governments are encouraged to establish clear frameworks for social dialogue that involve nationally representative organisations of employers, workers and civil society, while fully respecting the autonomy and specific role of social partners.

EU funding should support full preparation for EU membership, in line with the European social and economic model. Financial support must therefore go beyond technical alignment with the Single Market and actively promote social dialogue, inclusive growth and democratic governance.

But speed must not come at the expense of democracy. We warn against tight deadlines being used to bypass proper legislative processes, public debate or mandatory consultation. Emergency procedures should never justify the exclusion of social partners and civil society from decision‑making.

To strengthen accountability, we recommend clear and public European Commission guidance on how progress under the Reform Agendas is assessed, including transparent verification standards and how reversals of previously fulfilled conditions are handled. It also calls for predictable, sustainable and multi‑annual funding for civil society organisations and social partners, through transparent financial mechanisms.

Finally, we call on the European Commission to build on mid‑term assessments of the current Facilities and further improve the design and implementation of present and future performance‑based enlargement instruments.

By placing civil society and social partners at the core of governance, the EU can ensure that enlargement reforms are not only fast, but fair, inclusive and lasting, strengthening both candidate countries and the Union itself.

By Oleg Roibu, EESC Employers' Group member and Rapporteur of Opinion REX/612 – Civil Society’s Role in Supporting Reform under the Growth Plans for the Western Balkans and Moldova, as well as in Ukraine’s Reform Path.