Montenegro joined the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which represents the first institution of the European Union that opened its doors to candidate countries. The EESC is a consultative body of the EU and has existed since 1958. It is an advisory assembly made up of representatives of employers’ associations, labor unions and civil society organizations. The purpose of forming this committee was to unite various economic interest groups for the establishment of a single market.
At the plenary session, the EESC elected 131 members for the group of civil society experts from the candidate countries, who will contribute to the Committee’s advisory work in 2024 with their participation. In addition to Montenegro, the Committee received members from eight candidate countries: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Turkey. They can actively participate in the work of the Committee, but they will not have the right to vote.
At the opening of the conference, where the new member states were formally accepted, EESC President Oliver Ropke emphasized that for the citizens of the candidate countries, “patience is constantly being tested”.
“Meeting the accession benchmarks will not happen overnight, but there are so many things we can and should do together in the meantime,” Ropke said.
He emphasized that this initiative represents an significant step towards the gradual integration of candidate countries even before they formally join the European Union. He expressed the expectation that colleagues from candidate countries will bring their valuable experiences to the work of this institution.
The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, who welcomed the initiative and expressed his readiness for Montenegro to work dedicatedly on the EU integration.
“We do not see this as a substitution for membership, but as a way of bringing the countries of the Western Balkans and the EU closer together in the process of integration,” said Milojko Spajić.
The president of the Union of Employers of Montenegro, Slobodan Mikavica, was also present at the plenary session of the EESC.