Annual Monitoring Report

To develop the annual monitoring report composed of annual national desk studies and inputs from partners in the Western Balkans. The desk studies provide an overview of the progress made at national level in the framework of the EU enlargement process regarding the following policy areas: employment policies, services of general interest, education and lifelong learning, anti-discrimination policies, active citizenship and social economy.

SOLIDAR Social Progress Watch Initiative: Although signs of a fragile economic recovery are starting to appear, economic growth in the Western Balkans is unlikely to be sustainable unless it is inclusive and job rich, especially while labour market and social conditions remain extremely challenging and divergent.

Since 2008 social CSOs have been advocating that a stronger social dimension in the Enlargement approach is necessary because economic growth alone does not guarantee less inequality. In the framework of the EU Enlargement package – developed by the European Commission to foster economic growth and prevent excessive macro-economic imbalances in the Western Balkans – employment and social developments (the so called “social dimension”) should be given due attention in order to make concrete steps towards realizing social cohesion as well as preventing increasing disparities and long-term exclusion. The Social Progress Watch Initiative monitor and evaluate Member States’ and Candidate Member States commitments and effectiveness in contributing to promote active inclusion, reduce poverty and inequality, fight unemployment and tackle demographic challenges when developing national policy strategies in the field of education and lifelong learning, as well as employment and social sector.