Citizens have, unfortunately, not yet been in position to benefit from the effective rule of law, transparency of governance and efficient institutions, which would improve various aspects of their daily lives as a result of progress on the fulfilment of EU standards.
If it wants to accelerate towards full membership in the EU, Serbia clearly needs to pick up the pace of the harmonising of its legislation with the EU Acquis, which can be tracked through the closure of negotiation chapters. During the more than seven years since the start of its accession negotiations, Serbia has provisionally closed only two of the 35 accession negotiation chapters, which does not provide a clear indication of whether and when the country will achieve its goal of full EU membership in the foreseeable future. As a result, the country’s citizens have not yet been in position to benefit from the effective rule of law, transparency of governance and efficient institutions, which would improve various aspects of their daily lives as a result of progress on the fulfilment of EU standards.
EU Accession Negotiation Chapter 19, on social policy and employment, undoubtedly represents a complex step in the accession process, as it determines whether Serbia’s citizens will be entitled to attain well-protected labour rights in productive employment, with adequate social support to those who face objective difficulties in supporting themselves through their work.
The ILO invites Serbia to take greater advantage of its extended offer for collaboration, which could speed up the pace of social policy and employment reforms
Three consecutive Decent Work Country Programmes that the ILO has been implementing in Serbia since 2008 articulate the needs of its tripartite constituents and contribute, in many instances, to the goals and targets that Serbia should include in its platform for negotiations on Chapter 19. More decent employment opportunities and the effective protection of labour and social rights represent the backbone of the fair and inclusive social market economy model of the EU, to which most of its citizens strive.
Hence, the ILO stands ready to provide technical support, comparative experiences and evidence-based tools to its Serbian partners in their efforts to fulfil international labour standards and EU directives, and invites Serbia to take greater advantage of its extended offer for collaboration, which could speed up the pace of social policy and employment reforms.
