This article is a report of the Civil Society Forum organised by the European Economic and Social Committee and held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in October 2023. The conference took place on the basis of three panels held on implementation of the green agenda, democracy and participation, and education and youth policy, each of which are referenced below. First, however, the article addresses the keynote presentations, featuring also interviews conducted by the author, which explored issues such as co-operation, the extent to which government authorities in the western Balkans do (or do not) consult civil society in the course of policymaking, and the question of EU enlargement, an issue which has been more or less moribund for some time but which has been given a new lease of life as a result of the war in Ukraine and the applications of both Ukraine and Moldova for EU membership. The communiqué agreed at the conference emphasised the need for enlargement to the western Balkans in the interests of European peace, security and economic and social prosperity, but it is not yet clear how this will translate into policy.
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