On 21 June 2025, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, leader of the Belarusian opposition who had been in prison since May 2020 on false accusations by the Lukashenka regime, was released with several other political prisoners and reached Vilnius safely. ‘I am deeply grateful for the incredible support we received’, said his wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has been leading the Belarusian opposition in exile since her husband was arrested.

Just a few days before, at its June plenary session of 18-19 June, the EESC reaffirmed its strong support for a democratic Belarus by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Belarusian democratic forces led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. This MoU formalises a new phase of collaboration aimed at supporting Belarusian civil society, promoting human rights, and strengthening independent media and trade unions amid ongoing repression in Belarus. The signing was part of a wider debate featuring key Belarusian figures, including trade-unionist Maksim Pazniakou and film director Andrey Gnyot, who highlighted the regime’s crackdown on activists, journalists and workers. The EESC emphasised its commitment to giving a voice to silenced Belarusians and to building a shared European future based on democracy and dignity.

The Committee is currently drafting an information report on the right to accurate information about Eastern and Central Europe (REX/601, see heading ‘Ongoing opinions and information reports’ of this newsletter), which began after research on Belarus showed that the algorithms prioritise the regime’s official communiqués over accurate information about the situation in this Eastern European country.

In the final declaration, participants reaffirmed their strong support for a credible, merit-based EU accession process for the Western Balkans. They welcomed 2030 as a target date for readiness for EU membership, encouraged proactive resolution of bilateral disputes, and called for enhanced civic space, media freedom and the rule of law. The declaration stresses the crucial role of civil society and social partners in the accession process and urges the EU institutions to strengthen their involvement by following initiatives such as the EESC’s Enlargement Candidate Members. The Forum also highlighted the importance of fully integrating social partners and civil society organisations in implementing the EU Growth Plan and Reform and Growth Facility. Participants underscored the need to tackle poverty, inequality and undeclared work, with a focus on empowering women, Roma communities and other vulnerable groups. Organised civil society was recognised as a key driver of democratic resilience, social justice and successful EU integration across the region.

Mr Röpke also met with Minister Naida Nišić, joined by members of the Social Council. Discussions focused on strengthening tripartite social dialogue, the role of civil society in implementing Montenegro’s Reform Agenda, and the alignment of social policies with the EU acquis. The EESC President welcomed Montenegro’s establishment of a Directorate for Social Dialogue and its active efforts to reform labour laws, representativeness, social entrepreneurship and disability inclusion. He stressed the importance of respecting agreements reached in the Social Council and engaging social partners systematically in EU-related reforms.

On 12 May, a brave group of Serbian students arrived in Brussels after an extraordinary 18-day, 2000-kilometre relay ‘ultramarathon’ from Serbia to Belgium. Their inspiring journey was a powerful statement raising awareness of democratic backsliding and calling for change in Serbia. The students’ relentless effort culminated on 13 May with a number of meetings with EU officials at the highest level and a warm reception at the EESC, where Vice-President Laurentiu Ploșceanu personally welcomed them. In his address, he praised young Serbians for their courage, dedication and commitment to democratic values. The initiative has drawn significant international attention, spotlighting the vital role young people play in pushing for democratic reforms and civic accountability.

On 7 April, the EU-Serbia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) convened for its 19th meeting in Brussels, issuing a strong joint declaration delivering an urgent message: Serbia’s civil society, young people and media landscape need robust support and protection. Both EESC President Oliver Röpke and Vice-President Laurentiu Ploșceanu stressed the JCC’s role in ensuring that young people and civil society remain central to Serbia’s European path. While Danijel Apostolović, Head of the Serbian Mission to the EU, outlined Serbia’s progress towards EU accession, Gordan Bosanac, Member of the European Parliament, and Jiří Plecitý, Head of Unit for Serbia and Kosovo* at the European Commission’s DG ENEST, emphasised the importance of political will, judicial independence and rule of law reforms in unlocking further negotiation clusters. Igor Bandović, Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, and Maja Stojanović of Citizens’ Initiatives, provided their perspectives on the mass student protests taking place in Serbia over the previous six months and gave first-hand insights into the challenges faced by Serbian civil society, including smear campaigns, surveillance and intimidation. Looking ahead to the EXPO 2027, Miloš Đorđević from Transparency Serbia and Vladimir Jovanović from the Union of Serbian Engineers, addressed the need for transparent legal frameworks and robust oversight of infrastructure and procurement processes.

Kosovo (*) - 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.

On 26-27 June, a trio of events in Kittilä, Finland, explored the Arctic’s present and future from different perspectives.

In the panel discussion on Ripening opportunities, making the Arctic attractive, EESC member Anders Ladefoged, who is rapporteur for the EU’s Arctic policy, noted the strong support from Arctic civil society for EU efforts in the areas of regional development, research and sustainability, and also recognition of the relevance of the single market to Arctic businesses. Amid ongoing transitions – including climate change, demographic trends, renewable energy production, raw material extraction, and the growing need for defence infrastructure and civil preparedness – it is vital that civil society, including indigenous peoples, can give input and has a voice in shaping Arctic policy..

On 23-24 June 2025, the EESC co-organised the 29th Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions in Istanbul, together with the European Commission (DG MENA), the Union for the Mediterranean and the Anna Lindh Foundation. This year, the summit was dedicated to the New Pact for the Mediterranean, providing valuable input into REX/606, which is focused on the same topic. In addition to the main theme, summit participants also discussed the topics Promoting Entrepreneurship in the Euromed Region (linked to REX/604: Boosting Sustainable Growth and Quality Jobs in Euromed – Tapping the Potential of Women and Young People), as well as Blue Diplomacy and Water Cooperation (linked to REX/597: Blue Diplomacy and Water Cooperation – Climate Migration).

On 23-24 June, the EESC hosted joint meetings between EU and Japan civil society, in a first for our Japanese counterpart. On 23 June, the EU DAG members together with other civil society representatives from labour and business organisations, environmental groups, and various CSOs from the EU and Japan exchanged with officials from the European Commission and from the Japanese Government on the implementation of the Trade and Sustainable Development provisions of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Key themes were green shipping corridors, labour rights and ILO standards, corporate due diligence and the EU-Japan Green Alliance.

On 24 June, the EU DAG organised a workshop to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the workplace and driving economic competitiveness. This hybrid event brought together EU and Japanese stakeholders to discuss AI’s role in transforming job profiles, promoting innovation and raising ethical and policy challenges. It also focused on how AI can support sustainable and inclusive growth in both regions. The Japanese guests also had the opportunity to visit the European Parliament together with the EU DAG members and attend a session of the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament, where they were greeted by INTA chair Bernd Lange..

The EU-Vietnam Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) met on 17 June in Brussels to discuss the relationship between the EU and Vietnam with representatives from DG TRADE, DG INTPA, the EEAS and MEP Saskia Bricmont. Key updates included recent administrative reforms in Vietnam aimed at economic efficiency, the EU’s ongoing financial and technical cooperation in the country – notably in the areas of climate, governance and responsible business conduct – and an initial reaction to the new Trade Union Law.

Following the meeting, the EU DAG prepared a statement noting that: EU cooperation with Vietnam is growing despite a lack of progress on social and human rights, with questions arising about the EU’s political priorities with regard to the country; despite assurances when the FTA was signed, Vietnam has yet to ratify key ILO conventions five years later, raising doubts about the FTA’s legal impact; the implementation of the TSD chapter needs a healthy civic space for civil society organisations, but Vietnamese CSOs are strictly controlled, making consultation very difficult; social media restrictions in Vietnam limit transparency and communication; more clarity is needed on how the EU’s Global Gateway affects Vietnam, and all EU DGs should incorporate human rights into their Vietnam work; initial analysis of Vietnam’s new trade union law has raised concerns over the effectiveness of the law for workers, while concerns remain over the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour’s role as the EU’s trade union partner in discussions; effective responses to human rights violations remain a critical issue, with the government refusing to discuss the matter; there is no cooperation on animal welfare, which may have consequences for human health.

The 20th meeting of the EU-China Round Table was held in Madrid, on the premises of the Spanish ESC, on 9-10 June. The meeting was co-chaired by EESC President Oliver Röpke and China ESC Vice-President Shu Qiming. On the EU side, reports were prepared by Stefano Palmieri and Jacek Krawczyk on the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and by Antje Gerstein on climate action and finance. In the first working session, which focused on bridging the global connectivity and infrastructure gap, Head of Programs at the African Union ECOSOCC, Kyeretwie Osei, emphasised that local priorities must be considered and projects should create employment for young Africans. The second topic focused on strengthening EU-China cooperation on climate action and finance in view of the upcoming COP30 in Belém. A key issue is China’s self-identification as a developing country, which the EU disputes given Chinese high-tech achievements and growing prosperity. The discussions were open and reflected mutual respect, and informal conversations also revealed that support for Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine is less widespread in China than we often assume. Later on, REX President Dimitris Dimitriadis met in Brussels with the Deputy Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU to brief him on the meeting and discuss the next steps.

From 24 to 26 June 2025, a delegation of the EESC and the EU Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) travelled to San José to meet Central American DAG counterparts under the EU-Central America Association Agreement. The programme included a joint workshop on regional climate vulnerabilities and the impact of EU sustainability legislation on SMEs and value chains, as well as a DAGs’ meeting on 12 years of the Agreement’s implementation and on ways to enhance civil society’s role in sustainable trade governance. These discussions continued at the Civil Society Dialogue Forum with the Trade and Sustainable Development Board. A key outcome was the adoption of the 2025 Joint DAGs’ Declaration, outlining shared priorities such as climate resilience, labour rights, civic space, support to MSMEs, and alignment with EU sustainability standards.

The delegation also met with Ambassador Pierre-Louis Lempereur, Head of the EU Delegation to Costa Rica, as well as Eric Jeanjean and Dirk Niehaus, presidents of the EU Chambers of Commerce in Costa Rica, for exchanges on EU-CA trade and business cooperation. Finally, the EESC was honoured to meet former Costa Rican Presidents Óscar Arias Sánchez (Nobel Peace Prize 1987, in the picture) and Luis Guillermo Solís, and held an emotional dialogue with human rights defenders from across the region, reaffirming the Committee’s solidarity with civil society.

The meeting of the EESC’s Transatlantic Relations Follow-up Committee took place on 28 April in Brussels. It hosted a number of prominent guests from both sides of the Atlantic, including Bernd Althusmann, Head of Canada Office of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Andre Von Walter, Head of Trade and Economic Section in the EU Delegation in Canada, and Eva Gross from the USA and Canada Division in the European External Action Service (EEAS). In a complex geopolitical context where transatlantic ties are being redefined, the Committee discussed strengthening EU-Canada relations as a result of unpredictable US policies under the current presidency and new economic challenges and efforts to diversify trade via CETA. The Committee discussed the US administration’s disruptive approach, its effect on diplomacy, and the challenges posed for EU-US relations. The Committee got involved in the preparations for the upcoming EESC mission to the USA.

On 23-24 June, the Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) set up under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and tasked with advising on its implementation, held their fourth joint meeting in London, at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The UK and EU DAGs’ attention was focussed on the 19 May EU-UK bilateral summit and its outcomes, which were welcomed as a step in the right direction to be decisively built upon – not least with the upcoming TCA review in 2026. The second day was dedicated to the third Civil Society Forum (CSF) organised by the UK FCDO.  Open to civil society organisations representing businesses and employers, trade unions and other workers’ representatives, NGOs and academics, this year’s edition of the CSF discussed trade in services and goods, regulatory cooperation and the level playing field, energy and climate change.

This first edition of the Forum, whose main focus was Mobility across the island of Ireland after Brexit, began as an EESC initiative contributing to the development of the EU-UK relationship and complements the European Commission and the UK Government commitments to stakeholder engagement in the Windsor Framework. It gathered the widest possible range of business, worker and civil society stakeholders on the island, to share insights and expertise. Participants adopted specific recommendations, which the EESC’s EU-UK Follow-up Committee will share with relevant EU institutions and bodies, the UK Government and the joint EU-UK bodies managing the implementation of the Windsor Framework and the wider EU‑UK relationship.

On 10-11 June, the International Trade Follow-up Committee carried out its annual mission to Geneva. The EESC members held meetings with high-level officials from the World Trade Organization (WTO), such as Deputy Director General, Ambassador Jean-Marie Paugam, and Chief Economist Ralph Ossa.

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