Three million euros for jobs in the Western Balkans

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) will jointly create a Platform for Employment and Social Issues of the Western Balkans within a new project funded by the European Commission, which was signed today in Brussels, reports the Patria News Agency.

The project worth three million euros, titled "Platform for Economic and Social Issues" (ESAP), will be jointly implemented by the International Labour Organization and the Regional Cooperation Council in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The project will strengthen regional cooperation and the institutional capacities of public administrations, employers' and workers' organizations, enabling them to prepare and effectively implement labor market reforms and social policy reforms, thus achieving progress in the pre-accession process.

At the signing of the agreement today, Secretary General of the Council Goran Svilanović said that "the Council expects that by joining forces with the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, the ILO, and the governments of the Western Balkans, it will contribute to strengthening the capacities of public administrations for better results and monitoring of social and employment policies and human resource management."

Regional Director of the ILO for Europe and Central Asia Heinz Koller added that "the new initiative for economic and social issues will add a regional dimension to the existing cooperation with the European Union. This will enable and encourage mutual interaction and networking of institutions responsible for the labor market in the Western Balkans, as well as networking with European institutions."

Director of the ILO's Decent Work Technical Support Team and Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe Antonio Graziosi specified that the ILO will "focus on strengthening the role and effectiveness of tripartite social dialogue, improving labor legislation, promoting collective bargaining, strengthening labor inspectorates, and ensuring more active participation of social partners in labor market policy development."

The ESAP project will last 36 months, and the project team will be based in Sarajevo. The project will establish a structured dialogue on social and employment issues between governments and social partners in the Western Balkans. The project will include direct and virtual activities such as regional meetings, bilateral exchanges, and the development of new tools and information materials. A virtual platform will also be established to monitor and supplement individual activities.