Kosovo is accepted as a member of the EU Economic and Social Committee
2025-10-18 15:04:20
TiranaPost
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has become the first European Union institution to include members from Kosovo.
In the official announcement, this EU advisory institution invites Kosovar civil society organizations to apply for membership by October 24, within the framework of the Enlargement Candidate Countries Initiative (ECMc), launched in 2023.
"With this initiative we aim to strengthen projects that promote social and civic dialogue, increasing inclusion and cooperation within Kosovo's communities," says the call published on the EESC's official website.
In February 2024, the EESC became the first EU institution to admit members from candidate countries for membership, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.
During that period, Kosovo was not included, as it did not yet enjoy the status of candidate country, remaining the only one in the Western Balkans with this status.
However, in a response to the Koha newspaper, the Committee announced that it has been decided that the second phase of the initiative will also be extended to Kosovo as a potential candidate, so that it can benefit from the process of gradual inclusion in EU structures.
The EESC, established in 1957 under the Treaty of Rome, is an integral part of the institutions of the European Union. Its role is to advise European decision-makers and ensure that the voice of civil society is heard in the development of EU policies and legislation.
Its 329 members, representatives from the 27 member states, come from a variety of backgrounds: trade unions, industry, chambers of commerce, small and medium-sized enterprises, consumer organisations, farmers and human rights activists. Only representatives from EU countries have the right to vote.
The Committee is divided into three main groups: Employers, Workers, and Civil Society Organizations.
Its headquarters are located in Brussels and its main goal, as stated on its official website, is to make the decision-making process in the EU more democratic, more efficient and closer to the needs of European citizens.
We recall that Kosovo applied for EU membership in December 2022, but its application has not yet been reviewed by the EU Council, to be subsequently submitted for opinion to the European Commission.
