The European Parliament, in cooperation with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), is organising an Inter-parliamentary Conference on economic governance and job creation in the EU and Enlargement countries. The Conference will be hosted by the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Sarajevo, on 15 – 16 October 2015.

Unemployment is one of the greatest challenges facing Western Balkans, and in most countries has structural roots: the institutional setup of the labour market, labour cost factors and the unfinished transition process. The European Union has thus supported local efforts, funding institutional reforms and supporting economic development to increase employment in the region.

The Sarajevo conference is part of the European Parliament’s support programme for the parliaments of the Enlargement countries and will bring together MPs from Albania, BiH, Kosovo*, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey for an exchange of views and best practices with MEPs, academics and representatives of the European Commission and the RCC.

The main topics under discussion will include:
• Structural Reforms – Bottlenecks, priorities and perspectives for Foreign Direct Investment
• Sound foundations: Achieving public sector reform while reducing employment impact
• Convergence towards EU standards in fiscal and taxation policies
• Challenges and solutions for encouraging job creation in the Balkans
• The experience of new EU Member states in catching up and implementing the country-specific reports
• The Parliaments’ role in fostering and supporting convergence towards EU standards
• Transparency, economic reform and public interest

Mr Jean-Éric Paquet, Director for Western Balkans in the European Commission and Mr Goran Svilanović, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council will deliver keynote speeches.

The event is open to the public, civil society organisations and the media.

View the full programme and the list of participants.

Registration/participation requests can be addressed to:
Ernest Imamovic (NGOs and public), ernest.imamovic@parlament.ba, +38733286012
Zlatko Vukmirovic (media), press@parlament.ba, +38733284447

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.