On May 16th and 17th, 2022 an international study seminar took place in Bucharest, Romania, organised by MCL/EFAL (Movimento Cristiano Lavoratori/Ente Nazionale per la Formazione e l'Addestramento dei Lavoratori) in cooperation with EZA entitled “The integration process and the increase in poverty at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic”. The seminar took place as part of the EZA special project for workers' organisations in the Western Balkans and was financed by the European Union.
35 representatives of workers' organizations from Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Albania, and Croatia took part in the seminar.
The event opened with welcoming words from MCL President Antonio di Matteo, Italian Ambassador to Romania Alfredo Maria Durante Mangoni and Co-President of EZA Piergiorgio Sciacqua.
Senator Alexandru Nazare, former Finance Minister, and MEP, presented Romania's political perspective in the integration process and in support of social cohesion.
A valuable contribution was made by the representatives of the world of workers who, in the two sessions moderated by Piergiorgio Sciacqua and Giorgio D'Antoni, addressed the following themes: social dialogue, indifference and participation in critical times, the integration process of the young generation, difficulties for companies and the role of workers' organizations in the European integration process.
Beyond the topic of work and everything that the pandemic has brought about in the last two years, the war in Ukraine was also discussed, with the concerns of the neighbouring countries at the centre. The testimony of Cesare Lodeserto was particularly appreciated..
Several critical details were highlighted in this seminar, both because of the political choices in individual countries and because of the political weakness of the European Union. Despite this, there was a strong sense of responsibility and a firm determination to continue the chosen path of building a Europe of peoples and not of nations, respecting values and in which people are at the centre and around them every perspective of life is built in peace becomes.
The final round table therefore addressed the fundamental role of the European social dialogue in overcoming obstacles and difficulties on the road to social and economic integration and in optimising the relationship between the social partners and institutions in the field of work promote to support full employment and to enable the self-realization of employees.
In this perspective, the role of workers' organisations is strategic in understanding and promoting the new demands and needs of workers in times of globalisation. Our seminar succeeded in continuing the training and support of workers' organizations and in exchanging views on the changes and best practices.
The conclusions of EZA Co-President Piergiorgio Sciacqua stressed the role of these countries and the importance of full inclusion in Europe in the face of the current war in Ukraine. Numerous elements influence the acceleration of the integration process of the Balkans into the European Union. At the same time, however, there are also numerous reasons for a complicated and long process that requires considerable political and diplomatic efforts. The conflict situation in the region puts the countries there in a difficult position, especially at a time when trust in the EU political system is being challenged by nationalist and xenophobic movements, leading to questions such as the closure of the external borders in the face of migratory flows and similar developments, to which great importance is attached. At the same time, the economic crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic has tested the relationship between nation states and the EU and the relationships between member states. As a result, membership expansion to countries that are objectively in a difficult position is further discouraged.
On the other hand, a reaction to membership applications in a relatively short time is urgently needed to counter external influences aimed at curbing the impact of external actors on the European political and economic system. The economic and social prosperity of the EU imperatively requires the defence of common interests, which is why we cannot afford to abstain or hesitate at this time.
After all, we have common values that lead us to a common European experience with the peoples of the Western Balkans, with whom we historically have much in common in the cultural, economic and political spheres. Reconciling these positions must result in the completion of a process that has been underway for a long time but cannot be completed without determination.