Commissioner Thyssen participates in first ever EU-Western Balkans Ministerial meeting on employment and social affairs

Tomorrow, 12 June, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen, will participate in the first EU-Western Balkans Ministerial meeting on employment and social affairs, taking place in Luxembourg. The meeting is organised jointly by the European Commission, the Romanian Presidency of the Council and the upcoming Finnish and Croatian Presidencies, and will bring together the Ministers of Employment and Social Affairs of the Western Balkans. The aim of this meeting, which is expected to take place on a yearly basis as of now, is to have an exchange of views regarding challenges to employment and social reforms that benefit all citizens in the region. The Ministerial meeting will be followed by a stakeholder conference on Thursday 13 June, also in Luxembourg. During that conference, social partners and representatives of the civil society from the Western Balkans and the EU will discuss their role and contribution to employment and social policy development and implementation. More information on the Ministerial meeting and the stakeholder conference can be found here. The Ministerial meeting and stakeholder conference are part of the follow-up of the Commission's Western Balkans Strategy of February 2018. (For more information: Christian Wigand– Tel.: +32 229 62253; Sara Soumillion – Tel.: + 32 229 67094)