Minister Branko Ruzić welcomed the recently adopted EESC opinion on the Role of Civil Society in EU-Serbia Relations and mentioned that its recommendations were “constructive and useful for Serbia and its society at large”.
Today Minister Branko Ruzić met with representatives of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the EU institution representing organised civil society at EU level.
Mr Ionut Sibian, the EESC rapporteur for Serbia, commended the Serbian authorities for the opening of accession negotiations to the EU.
Mr Sibian also highlighted: “For the accession negotiations of Serbia to be a success, Serbian civil society must be informed and involved from the very beginning in this challenging process. The EU-Serbia Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee, which will become soon operational between EESC members and representatives of Serbian civil society, will be instrumental in this respect”.
Minister Ruzić welcomed the recently adopted EESC opinion on the Role of Civil Society in EU-Serbia Relations and mentioned that its recommendations were “constructive and useful for Serbia and its society at large”.
During the meeting, Minister Ruzić stressed that the appointment of Serbian civil society representatives to the EU-Serbia Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee will give the opportunity to civil society representatives, including the social partners, to participate in the historical process of Serbia’s accession to the EU. He added that the Serbian members of the JCC should include eminent CSOs representatives who can contribute to a better understanding of the EU integration process among Serbian society at large and provide additional legitimacy to this process.
Both sides agreed that the inaugural meeting of the EU-Serbia Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee should take place only after the general elections have been held in Serbia.
For more information, please contact:
In Brussels:
Mr Aurélien Juliard
EESC – Secretariat
Tel: +32.25.46.99.69
Aurelien.Juliard@eesc.europa.eu
European Economic and Social Committee
Rue Belliard 99, 1040 Bruxelles, Belgium
