IRIS network

EU Accession in the Western Balkans — but how does it feel in real life?
Part 3: People and rights

⚖️ Human rights
Laws exist — but they are not always applied.
Discrimination still affects women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ people.
Equal rights remain a challenge across the region.

🔄 What needs to change
Stronger focus on:
• Education
• Decent jobs
• Healthcare
• Social protection

Because people must come first.

📣 Call to action
Governments and the EU must:
• Listen to citizens
• Work closely with civil society

EU integration can only succeed if it improves lives — not just legislation.

EU Accession in the Western Balkans — but how does it feel in real life?
Part 2: Everyday challenges

📚 Education
Schools remain underfunded, and education systems often fail to match labour market needs.
Young people struggle to find decent, sustainable jobs.

💼 Jobs & Work
Many jobs are unstable or informal.
Youth and women are most affected.
Job insecurity means less protection, fewer rights, and limited long-term prospects.

🏥 Social protection & healthcare
Access to healthcare is still uneven, especially in rural areas.
Social services often fail to reach those who need them most.

EU integration is not only about reforms on paper —
it’s about dignity, security, and opportunities in everyday life.

🇪🇺

EU Accession in the Western Balkans.
But how does it actually feel in real life?

When we talk about the EU path, we often forget one key question:
👉 Who are we really talking about?

The Western Balkans:
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia —
all moving forward on the road to EU membership.

But despite ongoing negotiations, many citizens still don’t experience real improvement in their daily lives.

🇪🇺

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!✨

Together, let us continue to contribute to a better world for all by embracing kindness, creativity, and collaboration to create positive change.

🤝 We held the last national meeting for this year of IRIS network as part of IRIS Progress project funded by EU 🇪🇺

Conference: The Social Dimension of Western Balkans EU Approximation 🌍
The Western Balkans are on the path to EU membership, but social policies still lag behind economic and political reforms. Youth unemployment, poverty, and gender inequality remain high, while local social services and NGOs are underfunded.
Key takeaway: True EU integration means investing in people, communities, and social justice — economic growth alone is not enough. 💡

The first panel explored the shift toward active and inclusive participation of citizens and civil society organisations in shaping social policy priorities across the Western Balkans.
Under the theme Co-Creating Policy – Civil Society’s Role in Shaping Priorities, speakers emphasised the importance of co-designing policies together with service providers, beneficiaries, and grassroots organisations, highlighting regional examples where participatory approaches have resulted in more responsive and inclusive social measures. ✨

🇪🇺

Today, we opened the conference on “The Social Dimension of Western Balkans EU Approximation” with a high-level opening plenary session featuring distinguished speakers – including Damir Gutić, Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography of Montenegro, and Anđela Ivanović, Head of Cabinet at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Dialogue.

🇪🇺

At the IRIS Conference “The Social Dimension of EU Integration”, taking place on 20 November in Podgorica, two key sessions will be held:

• Session 1 — Co-Creating Policy:
Civil Society’s Role in Shaping Priorities
&
• Session 2 — Building Bridges:
Inclusion and Integration of the Most Vulnerable Through Partnerships

IRIS Network continues to build bridges of cooperation among organizations that support social inclusion across the Western Balkans.

📍Podgorica, Montenegro

🇪🇺