EU Continues Support in the Areas of Employment and Social Affairs

The Head of the European Union to Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi, and the newly appointed Minister for Labour, Veteran, Employment and Social Affairs, Mrs Darija Kisić Tepavčević discussed the most important issues where EU and Serbia are cooperating, including active labour policies, support to vulnerable groups, like Roma, and migration management, with a focus on protecting minors without elder following.

Ambassador Fabrizi said that the Ministry is an important partner of the European Union in Serbia in areas such as migration management, countering youth unemployment and fostering social inclusion. As he pointed out, the European Commission recently adopted the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which represents and important programme financed by the EU to support employment in SMEs.

“Serbia can continue to count the support of the EU also in the area of social affairs and social inclusion in these difficult times marked by the pandemic which also has hit all economies”, said ambassador Fabrizi.  

Minister Kisić Tepavčević said that the EU’s support to Serbia is of great importance, given that it covers a number of areas and added that she believes that it will continue in the future.

“One of the priorities of the work of the Ministry is certainly better employment of young people and integration of our citizens who have returned to Serbia. Therefore, we are very grateful for the cooperation and support of the EU in building capacity in the field of employment, support to the National Employment Service, as well as in the field of employment of young and hard-to-employ categories, as well as Roma inclusion, and support to the social protection system”, prof. Dr. Kisić Tepavčević pointed out.

The Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans’ Affairs and Social Affairs coordinates the activities of the public administration in Chapter 2 – Freedom of Movement of Workers and Chapter 19 – Social Policy and Employment, stated prof. Dr. Kisić Tepavčević. In addition, it participates in working groups and activities for the implementation of action plans for a number of chapters, most importantly in Chapter 23 – Justice and Fundamental Rights and Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security, as well as monitoring the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA).