The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) launched its 10th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum in Budva, Montenegro, bringing together more than 100 participants from across the region to explore ways to accelerate socio-economic convergence with the European Union and improve living standards. The two-day forum, held on 13–14 May, supports Montenegro’s ambition to become the next EU Member State by 2028 and aims to position the country as a model for EU integration in the Western Balkans.
Organised with the support of the European Commission (DG ENEST), the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans (OSF-WB), the Western Balkans Fund (WBF), and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the forum convened representatives from Montenegrin government institutions, trade unions, employer organisations, and civil society organisations across the region.
We were pleased to take part in the 10th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum, hosted in Budva by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans. The gathering provided an important platform for civil society organisations to advocate for a fairer and more inclusive approach to EU enlargement.
Our Head of Policy and Advocacy, Anja Bosilkova-Antovska, took the floor, highlighting that, “If the EU is serious about democratic transformation in the Western Balkans, civic space must be treated as a core accession requirement, not an afterthought. We need binding civic space benchmarks in the enlargement process, and civil society must be formally integrated and meaningfully involved in the reform processes,” she stated.
Speaking on a panel, Bosilkova-Antovska also warned that democratic reforms may be rendered ineffective without the presence of independent civil society actors to hold governments accountable. “This is not just about supporting NGOs but protecting the fundamental values the EU stands for. The credibility of enlargement depends on it.”
The forum emphasized the importance of civil society as a key pillar in the democratic and reform processes of the region and called for its formal integration into the EU accession framework.
Read more here: https://osfwb.org/10th-western-balkans-civil-society-forum-accelerating-socio-economic-convergence-with-the-eu-for-a-better-life/
