TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange – an instrument of the Directorate-General Enlargement of the European Commission that helps countries with regard to the approximation, application and enforcement of EU legislation) together with the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and Directorate for Economic Planning of BiH Council of Ministers (DEP) organised the “Seminar on EU Social Protection and Social Inclusion Process" on 2 June, 2009 in Sarajevo
The Seminar was opened by Ambassador Dimitris Kourkoulas, Head of European Commission Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, who expressed his pleasure to be able to talk about social issues since at the beginning of his career he himself had dealt with some important aspects of social dimension and equal employment opportunities for men and women, a very important part of the Acquis Communautaire, as well.
„Instead of talking about what your country expects from the European Union, let’s talk about what the EU expects from your country. The citizens of this country will definitely benefit from this project even before you become the EU member because this is a social model that has proven to be efficient and has definitely been functioning in the new member states, even though they also have significant problems on the issue. This model has been implemented in the EU for the last 15 years and I think it could be very interesting for BiH. The social dimension should be highlighted since it is the area where the citizens may directly see the benefits of the European integration process and it is the European integration that shall bring many positive things to the BiH citizens. At today’s Seminar we should pay attention to the directives on labour law, safety at work, equal treatment and equal opportunities for men and women in employment and social security. Once your country becomes the EU member, your citizens living and working in the EU countries shall have equal treatment and employment opportunities in all the EU countries. It will increase the mobility within the EU and strengthen the rights the citizens are entitled to in the field of social security. These are the advantages BiH shall have once it joins the EU”, said Kourkoulas.
He stressed that a lack of reliable statistical data is a big problem in BiH and without such data, no social policy can be made. The statistics planned to be completed in 2011 should be used for creation of future social policy.
The Seminar gathered a number ofgovernment representatives, including the relevant Ministries of Health and Social Security, Labour and Social Affairs, as well as the representatives of the Institutes for Public Health and Safety at Work and media representatives.
Ms. Ljerka Maric, Director of the Directorate for Economic Planning, BiH Council of Ministers, emphasised that DEP was working on two strategies: the Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy.
„The goal of this Seminar is to get information from the institutions on the state of play of the Strategy, while the European Commission should let us know what needs to be done in order to become a candidate country. We hope that the EC shall continue to support us, as it has been doing through numerous programs“, said Maric.
The overall objective of the Seminar was to inform civil servants from public administration, representatives of national and local authorities, social security institutions, social service providers and NGOs about the EU social protection and social inclusion process. Every potential candidate country needs to be in compliance with EU rules and standards from the Acquis Communautaire, the issue tackled upon by Mr. George Fischer, Head of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Department.
„We do not have a uniform European social model but we have setcommon goals. With the Treaty of Lisbon we want to achieve full employment; we want to fight against poverty and social exclusion; we want to promote social inclusion. All of these are the goals defined at the European Union level. The European Union institutions have no specific ways to promote how to achieve all of this. The Treaty on European Union clearly stipulates that all the Member States are responsible for organising social policy schemes organised in their respective countries. Therefore, it is clear that we in the Union want to have member countries with good social policy systems. I think that you in BiH have to accept the fact that the EU shall not tell you, or any other country, which model is adequate to be implemented in your country. We are ready to help with these processes and should any country obtain the member status, there are certain processes that the country needs to undergo in terms of being informed on the policies to be implemented“, explained Fischer.
