Rapporteur:

Andrej ZORKO

Co-rapporteur:

Ionuţ SIBIAN

Advisor	Simonida KACARSKA, Rapporteur’s Advisor
Plenary Assembly decision	19.3.2024
Referral	14.3.2024, Letter from the Hungarian presidency of EU Council
Legal basis	Article 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
Section responsible	External Relations
Adopted in section	17.7.2024
Adopted at plenary session	18.9.2024
Plenary session No	590
Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions)	165/3/3

1.   Conclusions and recommendations

1.1.

The EESC reiterates that, as the longest standing candidates for accession, facilitating the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union is a strategic priority for the EU. It calls for a credible and merit-based accession process, which would strengthen the EU both politically and socio-economically. The EESC firmly believes that a gradual, predictable and merit-based approach to acquiring increasing benefits during the EU accession process is the best way to proceed towards enlargement of the Union.

1.2.

A credible accession process requires giving organised civil society a meaningful role, something the EESC has directly supported through its ‘Enlargement Candidate Members’ (ECMs) initiative (1). As the first EU body to have involved representatives from candidate countries in its daily work, the EESC calls upon the other EU bodies and institutions to make the best use of the new accession methodology and to involve representatives of the candidate and potential candidate countries in their work.

1.3.

The EESC commends the adoption of the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (RGFWB) as an instrument for providing tangible support for socio-economic development in the Western Balkans. It welcomes the robust conditionality approach in the RGFWB, with its emphasis on key reforms in democracy, the rule of law and human rights, including minority rights. The effectiveness of this approach relies on the Commission’s assessments being methodical, objective and transparent. The EESC recommends that the Commission issue clear and transparent guidance on how to apply the proposed conditionality package.

1.4.

The socio-economic gap between the Western Balkan partners and the EU remains a challenge. To achieve convergence, all partners need to step up their reform efforts in order to leverage the current enlargement momentum and demonstrate the value of additional EU financial investment in the region’s development (2).

1.5.

The EESC asks the Commission to support candidate and potential candidate countries in evaluating both the advantages and drawbacks of early market integration, as provided for in the RGFWB, identifying those that are adversely affected and implementing customised mitigation measures. This will be key to preventing the erosion of public support for EU membership in candidate countries and facilitating their smooth integration into the EU single market, without forgetting the required social and labour standards, in line with the European social model. Additionally, the Commission should ensure that, when developing such measures, input from the social partners and civil society organisations is sought in a timely manner and is duly considered (3).

1.6.

In line with the EU’s partnership principle and the social and economic objectives of the RGFWB, the EESC stresses that the reform agendas and subsequent binding agreements must include a summary of the relevant mechanisms for engaging the social partners and civil society organisations, as well as of the consultation process and respective indicators outlining how the input of stakeholders was taken into account. We reiterate the need for monitoring committees to monitor the implementation of the RGFWB based on the partnership principle.

1.7.

The EESC reiterates the importance of regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations throughout the EU accession process, and welcomes the focus, in the RGFWB, on the development of the Common Regional Market (CRM) and its action plan beyond 2024.

1.8.

The EESC welcomes the RGFWB’s specific objective to accelerate the green transition, in line with the 2020 Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and covering all economic sectors, particularly energy, including the transition towards a de-carbonised, climate-neutral, climate-resilient and circular economy. The RGFWB is expected to stimulate and/or facilitate domestic reforms and also support new infrastructure or the modernisation of existing infrastructure, thereby leading to energy transition and decarbonisation. The EESC emphasises the need to address the social dimension of the green transition to an inclusive and just economy and society.

1.9.

The EESC strongly emphasises the need for all parties, including the EU, to conduct social dialogue based on the partnership principle (4) and to support the development of an enabling environment for the work of civil society organisations. It also stresses the importance of systematic, meaningful and timely inclusion of the social partners and civil society organisations in the EU accession negotiations and in this context points to the important role of civil society joint consultative committees (JCCs). The EESC invites the institutions of the EU and of the Western Balkan partners to carefully consider and implement the recommendations set out in the joint declarations of JCCs.

1.10.

The EESC recognises the benefit of the monitoring work and recommendations of civil society organisations in the Western Balkans concerning the EU’s role in supporting a more enabling environment for civil society development. (5) Furthermore, the EESC urges the Commission to address evident attempts to suppress the civic space, and to reflect these issues more prominently in the enlargement strategy and country reports.

1.11.

The EESC calls for EU programmes and regional structures to be bolstered, with the aim of reaching more young people in the Western Balkans and fostering a culture of exchange and collaboration by providing them with opportunities for relevant education, scholarships, mobility, volunteering and quality employment.

1.12.

The EESC points out that full alignment of the Western Balkans with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) remains a cornerstone of the EU’s conditionality provisions, as highlighted in the latest EU-Western Balkans Summit Declaration of 2023 (6).

1.13.

The EESC urges the Commission to strengthen the capacity of its directorates, especially the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), to manage the accession process, effectively taking into account the increased number of EU candidate countries and the political priority of enlargement.

1.14.

The EESC emphasises the need for the EU to take a proactive stance in addressing bilateral disputes between EU Member States and candidate countries. These disputes frequently impede progress and adversely affect pro-EU political forces in candidate and potential candidate countries, leading to stagnation or even the reversal of EU-oriented reforms.

1.15.

The EESC acknowledges that, for the enlargement to be successful, in parallel to preparing the candidates for accession, the EU needs to reform and be ready to include more members. The EU institutions need to provide reliable information on the expected impact of enlargement for citizens, both in the EU and in the candidate countries.

2.   The Western Balkans as a test of the credibility of EU accession policy

2.1.

In its March 2024 communication on pre-enlargement reforms, the European Commission observes that ‘enlargement strengthens the competitiveness and growth potential of the single market, creating new economies of scale and opportunities for EU citizens and businesses. It boosts energy security and promotes higher environmental, health, social and consumer standards as well as global climate action. Most fundamentally, a well-managed enlargement expands and anchors democracy, the rule of law, stability, external and internal security and respect of fundamental rights across our continent’ (7).

2.2.

In response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has generated new momentum towards enlargement. In December 2023, the European Council agreed to open accession talks with Moldova and Ukraine and to conditionally grant candidate status to Georgia. In March 2024, the Council agreed to open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2.3.

The Western Balkans countries have been the longest standing candidates for EU accession, having been granted the prospect of accession as far back as 2003 with the Thessaloniki Agenda. Despite its small geographical size and population, the region has faced numerous challenges on its path to EU accession. These include an overall slowdown in the process of enlargement in the EU and weak progress in the candidate countries.

2.4.

The region’s level of economic integration with the EU is already very high, first and foremost owing to the stabilisation and association agreements (8). Studies have shown that the financial burden for the current EU Member States of enlargement to include the Western Balkans is between 0,014 % and 0,026 % of Member States’ GNI, or between €1,6 and €10,8 per capita per year (9). In view of this assessment, enlarging the EU to include the region is in the EU’s own interest, since it would ultimately improve the geo-economic position of the EU by creating stronger ties and political commitment in efforts to foster resilient European supply chains.

2.5.

The EESC acknowledges that, for the enlargement to be successful, in parallel to preparing the candidates for accession the EU needs to reform and be ready to include more members. The EU institutions need to provide reliable information on the expected impact of enlargement on citizens, both in the EU and in the candidate countries. Furthermore, the EESC stresses the importance of strengthening democratic structures in the EU as an important condition for further enlargement processes.

2.6.

Bilateral disputes between Member States and Western Balkans candidate countries as well as between the candidate countries themselves have placed a substantial burden on the EU accession process. The EESC emphasises the need for the EU to take a proactive stance in addressing bilateral disputes between EU Member States and candidate countries and asks the Council to take into consideration expert proposals for streamlining decision-making in the intermediate steps of the EU accession process. The EESC reiterates the proposal for regional collaborative projects fostering people-to-people contact, including through cultural diplomacy as a tool for building trust in the wider region of south-east Europe (10).

2.7.

Given the difficulties experienced by the Member States in reaching unanimity on enlargement, the EESC considers that the Council should revisit the possibility of introducing qualified majority voting, at least for all intermediary stages of the EU accession process. This would grant Member States a strong political role, as is the intention of the new accession methodology, yet it would also prevent them from frustrating the process while it is ongoing, which is precisely what is currently undermining trust in enlargement and the transformative power of the policy (11).

3.   The Western Balkans in EU enlargement policy during the 2019-2024 institutional cycle

3.1.

Recognising the need to re-energise the process of EU enlargement, the EU adopted the revised accession methodology in early 2020 with the aim of incorporating dynamism, predictability and better integration prospects into the process. The EESC welcomed the revised methodology, agreeing that the Western Balkans are an integral part of Europe and that integrating the Western Balkan partners into the EU represents a geostrategic investment in the peace, stability, security and socio-economic growth of the entire continent (12).

3.2.

In May 2024, the EU adopted the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (RGFWB) as a new, comprehensive instrument that aims to support the EU’s Western Balkan partners’ alignment with EU values, laws, rules, standards, policies and practices, with a view to their future EU membership. It envisages their progressive integration into the EU single market as well as their socio-economic convergence with the EU.

3.3.

In its recent opinion, the EESC welcomes the renewed commitment to socio-economic convergence and fundamental reforms outlined in the New Growth Plan and the RGFWB. The EESC firmly believes that a gradual, predictable and merit-based approach to acquiring increasing benefits during the EU accession process is the best way to proceed towards enlargement of the Union. With this in mind, the European Commission should ensure that the beneficiaries are provided with timely technical assistance for acquis alignment and implementation (13), including in the upcoming Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) IV.

3.4.

Despite varying enthusiasm and progress on reforms, including periods of stagnation, the EESC emphasises the need for credible prospects of EU membership through a merit-based and predictable accession process (14). It notes that when the process has been clear and predictable and when there has been strong support from the European Commission, the Western Balkans have shown that they can deliver on commitments and reforms (such as the visa liberalisation process).

3.5.

Pointing to the Thessaloniki Agenda and the Sofia, Zagreb, Brdo and Tirana Declarations, the EESC reconfirms its full and unequivocal commitment to the prospect of EU membership for the Western Balkans and calls for the acceleration of the accession process, based upon credible reforms by partners, fair and rigorous conditionality, and the principle of own merits, which is in our mutual interest (15).

4.   A credible and predictable accession process, with a focus on fundamentals

4.1.

The EESC recognises that the delay in the accession process in the Western Balkans over the last decade has led to disappointment among citizens in the region and loss of trust at societal and political level between the EU and the region. Nevertheless, the citizens of the Western Balkans still remain supportive of EU accession, despite having been in the EU’s waiting room for more than two decades. Restoring the credibility of the process by delivering on key concerns of the population, such as the rule of law, is vital.

4.2.

The EESC emphasises the importance of the ‘fundamentals first’ approach and calls for rigorous, objective reform assessments by the Commission to ensure that the enlargement process is credible.

4.3.

The EESC urges the Commission to strengthen the capacity of its directorates, especially DG NEAR, to manage the accession process effectively in view of the increased number of EU candidate countries and the political importance of enlargement. Adequate staffing and resources are crucial to be able to handle the technical demands and ensure a credible, fair, and rigorous accession process based on reforms, conditionality and merits. Strengthening DG NEAR and empowering its political leadership will reinforce the EU’s commitment to enlargement and support all enlargement countries effectively.

4.4.

The EESC calls on the Commission to make use of instruments used in the past that have contributed to the credibility of the EU accession process, such as the accession partnerships in the 2004 and 2007 enlargements, as well as peer mission reports and roadmaps to facilitate the process of benchmarking, especially as regards the fundamentals.

4.5.

The EESC urges the Commission to include the entire region in the rule of law mechanism and requests that it support the work of the EESC’s Ad Hoc Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law, which performs civil society ‘health checks’ in the candidate countries, complementing the Commission’s Rule of Law Report. The EESC recognises the wealth of monitoring work done and the recommendations that civil society organisations in the Western Balkans have been issuing linked to EU accession benchmarking (16).

4.6.

The EESC reiterates the need to promote fundamental rights as part of the accession process, including by involving all Western Balkan partners in the work of the Fundamental Rights Agency of the EU. The EESC also emphasises the holistic approach to fundamental rights and stresses the need for full implementation of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Conventions.

5.   Gradual integration between the EU and the Western Balkans

5.1.

The EESC backs the enhanced socio-economic integration of the Western Balkans with the EU single market through the RGFWB and emphasises the need to assist governments in all reforms needed for accessing the elements of the single market specified in the RGFWB. It encourages the Commission to conduct further analysis and offer new areas of gradual integration for the region that require low adjustment costs and offer high benefits for citizens and businesses in the region already during the accession process.

5.2.

The EESC underscores the fact that, while market integration brings benefits, it may also create risks and losses for candidate and potential candidate countries’ economies and societies. The EESC emphasises the importance of social and civic dialogue in identifying and mitigating such risks. It is therefore crucial to aid governments in conducting analyses, identifying those left behind and, in cooperation with the social partners, business partners and civil society organisations, implementing tailored support measures promptly to facilitate preparations for the market pressures of the single market.

5.3.

The EESC calls for the development of appropriate solutions for the full integration of the Western Balkan countries into the labour markets of the Member States, in order to avoid the risks of wage and social dumping. Furthermore, the EESC strongly recommends that the Commission emphasise, in the accession process, the Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages (17) as a framework for creating the conditions for a progressive increase in the collective bargaining coverage rate.

5.4.

The EESC welcomes the Commission’s proposal to increase financial assistance to candidate countries through the RGFWB. This is crucial for socio-economic development and in order to secure political commitment to the reforms these countries require on their path to EU membership. The EESC emphasises the importance of gradually aligning support for candidate countries with Member States’ financial instruments to ensure a seamless transition to membership.

5.5.

The EESC notes that the revised enlargement methodology mentions the possibility of candidate countries ‘participating as observers in key European Union meetings on matters of substantial importance to them’ (18). However, the New Growth Plan only mentions the ‘fullest possible participation in Commission-led expert groups’, leaving out other possible forms of institutional participation for candidate countries.

5.6.

The EESC reiterates the importance of regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations throughout the EU accession process and welcomes the focus, in the Commission’s proposal, on the development of the Common Regional Market (CRM) and its action plan beyond 2024. The EESC welcomes the Commission’s approach, whereby if a country obstructs regional cooperation, its actions cannot block its neighbours, but only itself. At the same time, the EESC notes the lack of detail regarding the implementation of such an approach in practice, especially in terms of the functioning of the CRM.

5.7.

The EESC points out that the process of adopting the RGFWB and the national reform agendas did not provide sufficient space for dialogue and input from organised civil society in the Western Balkans. The EESC reiterates its recommendation to take into consideration the best-case practices from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility and the associated monitoring, in order to enable social dialogue in the Western Balkan candidate and potential candidate countries (19).

6.   Socio-economic convergence with a view to EU accession

6.1.

The pace and extent of socio-economic convergence between the Western Balkan partners and the EU has fallen short of expectations, holding back progress towards accession. It is crucial to intensify convergence efforts with a view to increasing the quality of life of citizens, especially considering the risk of diminishing public support in the Western Balkans. All partners need to step up their reform efforts in order to leverage the current enlargement momentum and demonstrate the value of additional EU financial investment in the region’s development (20).

6.2.

While stronger socio-economic development is one of the key consequences of EU membership, it is also paramount to support this in the pre-accession process, in order to improve the quality of life in EU candidate countries and support the transformation of their economic and social policies, including the adoption of the European social model. In this context, the Commission should also focus on assessing the rise in quality of life in these countries through a ‘social scoreboard’.

6.3.

The transition to a democratic society has sometimes led to poorly organised employers’ groups and trade unions, particularly at regional level. The EESC contends that it is crucial to assist the social partners in the Western Balkans in fostering incentives for strong representation of employers’ organisations and trade unions. Additionally, encouraging them to participate in European employers’ and workers’ organisations, drawing on European expertise, training programmes and social practices, is essential.

7.   Green Agenda

7.1.

The EESC has stressed that it believes that the Western Balkans should continue to align with the guidelines, objectives and values of the EU, and that the EU should strive to include the Western Balkans in its initiatives linked to the Green Agenda. (21) The EESC welcomes the RGFWB’s specific objective to accelerate the green transition, in line with the 2020 Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and covering all economic sectors, particularly energy, including the transition towards a de-carbonised, climate-neutral, climate-resilient and circular economy.

7.2.

The EESC emphasises the need to address the social dimension of the green transition to an inclusive and just economy and society. Organised civil society in all its components, the social partners and other organisations will be instrumental in promoting sustainable development as an ‘active societal choice’, and hence a choice embraced and supported right across political and social dividing lines, supporting the ‘leave no one behind’ principle.

8.   Young people as a cornerstone of the Western Balkans enlargement process (22)

8.1.

The Western Balkans have made considerable progress in terms of further establishing and consolidating their youth policy framework by adopting relevant laws, strategies and action plans. However, a fully functional youth system that ensures effective youth empowerment, engagement and participation in decision-making has yet to be developed. The EESC recommends that the Western Balkan partners establish formal mechanisms for youth participation in decision-making processes (similar to the EU Youth Test mechanism (23)), ensuring that young people’s voices in the Western Balkans are heard and considered in policy development.

8.2.

The social infrastructure in the Western Balkans does not sufficiently support the region’s ability to develop and maintain a robust human capital base, particularly in the context of the outflow of human capital through brain drain. Studies show that the annual loss as a result of young people leaving the region varies from EUR 840 million to EUR 2.46 billion and implies a decrease in consumption and welfare for the region of around EUR 3 billion of yearly GDP growth (24). The EESC calls for the Western Balkan partners to create incentives for young professionals to stay in the region, such as competitive salaries, career development opportunities, and improved working conditions. Additionally, they should establish programmes that connect diaspora communities with opportunities in their home countries in order to encourage return migration.

8.3.

The EESC welcomes the specific objective of the RGFWB that aims to boost quality education, training, reskilling and upskilling at all levels, with a particular focus on young people, including tackling youth unemployment, preventing brain drain, supporting vulnerable communities, supporting employment policies, including labour rights, in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, and fighting poverty. Despite this, the EESC reiterates its disappointment at the lack of inclusion of the social partners and civil society when developing the RGFWB (25).

8.4.

The EESC recommends developing and implementing comprehensive youth employment programmes that provide job training, apprenticeships, and internships tailored to the needs of the Western Balkan labour market. These programmes should be designed in cooperation with local businesses and educational institutions to ensure they meet market demands.

8.5.

The EESC stresses the need to invest in education system reforms in order to improve the quality and relevance of education, ensuring that curricula are aligned with labour market needs and that students acquire both technical and soft skills, as well as to promote partnerships between educational institutions and industries to facilitate practical training and job placements.

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(1)   Enlargement Candidate Members (ECMs) Initiative.

(2)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – New growth plan and Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (COM(2023) 691 final and COM(2023) 692 final) ( OJ C, C/2024/4065, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4065/oj).

(3)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – New growth plan and Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (COM(2023) 691 final and COM(2023) 692 final) ( OJ C, C/2024/4065, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4065/oj).

(4)  In accordance with the letter and spirit of Article 152 TFEU, which stresses the need to simultaneously respect the independence and diversity of the social partners.

(5)  The Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN): 14th analysis of the European Commission’s annual reports assessing civil society development in the Western Balkans and Türkiye, December 2023.

(6)  The EU-Western Balkans summit: Brussels declaration, 13 December 2023.

(7)  Communication on pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews, COM(2024) 146 final.

(8)  A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans, COM(2018) 65 final.

(9)  Rant, V., Mrak, M. & Marinč, M. (2020), The Western Balkans and the EU budget: the effects of enlargement, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 431-453.

(10)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Cultural diplomacy as a vector of EU external relations – new partnerships and role of CSOs’ ( OJ C 75, 28.2.2023, p. 122).

(11)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Enhancing the accession process — A credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020) 57 final) on ‘Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020) 641 final) and on ‘Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — 2020 Communication on EU enlargement policy’ (COM(2020) 660 final) ( OJ C 220, 9/6/2021, p. 88).

(12)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Contribution of civil society to the Green Agenda and Sustainable Development of the Western Balkans as part of the EU accession process’ ( OJ C 429, 11.12.2020, p. 114

(13)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – New growth plan and Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (COM(2023) 691 final and COM(2023) 692 final) (OJ C, C/2024/4065, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4065/oj).

(14)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – New growth plan and Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (COM(2023) 691 final and COM(2023) 692 final) (OJ C, C/2024/4065, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4065/oj).

(15)  The EU-Western Balkans summit: Brussels declaration, 13 December 2023.

(16)  Think for Europe Network, Effective benchmarking for concrete rule of law reforms in the Western Balkans, October 2019.

(17)  Directive (EU) 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union, OJ L 275, 25.10.2022, p. 33

(18)  Enhancing the accession process - A credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans, COM(2020) 57 final.

(19)   Conclusion of the EESC's Western Balkans Civil Society High-Level Conference, Ljubljana, 24 May 2024.

(20)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – New growth plan and Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (COM(2023) 691 final and COM(2023) 692 final) ( OJ C, C/2024/4065, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4065/oj).

(21)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Contribution of civil society to the Green Agenda and Sustainable Development of the Western Balkans as part of the EU accession process’ ( OJ C 429, 11.12.2020, p. 114

(22)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Youth Policy in the Western Balkans, as part of the Innovation Agenda for the Western Balkans’ ( OJ C 443, 22.11.2022, p. 44

(23)  Opinion on the European Economic and Social Committee on The EU Youth Test (OJ C 486, 21.12.2022, p. 46).

(24)  Westminster Foundation for Democracy: Cost of youth emigration in the Western Balkans, October 2019.

(25)  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – New growth plan and Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (COM(2023) 691 final and COM(2023) 692 final) (OJ C, C/2024/4065, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4065/oj).