19/12/2022

On December 19, 2022, a meeting of Group III of the Economic and Social Council (ESC) was held at the office of the National Union of Worker-Producer Cooperatives (TPK).

Representatives of Group III (the civil society sector) within the Economic and Social Council held a discussion meeting to review the challenges encountered in their work over the past year and to outline priorities for the year ahead. Bogomil Nikolov, Deputy Chair of the ESC and Chair of this group, presented the opinions, resolutions, and analyses adopted by the ESC in 2022, with a particular focus on those developed with the most active participation of Group III representatives. Contributing comments and proposals were: Bozhidar Stanchev (National Union of Worker-Producer Cooperatives), Lidia Shuleva (Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria), Yanka Takeva (Public Women’s Parliament – ​​21st Century Association), Elitsa Barakova (BCause Foundation), Iliyana Nikolova (Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation), Nataliya Shukadarova (National Association of Grain Producers), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kostadin Kolarov (National Chamber of Crafts), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ofeliya Kaneva (representing independent scholars). Attention was also directed toward planning the topics on which efforts to draft official documents would focus in 2023. Discussions covered several priority areas proposed for inclusion in the Council’s new work plan—namely youth (including children), mental health and addictions, issues surrounding public-private partnerships, and the role of the non-governmental sector within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). It was agreed that digitalization, the green transition, and the European Pillar of Social Rights would remain cross-cutting themes in the group’s work.

The discussion also addressed the group’s overall role within the Council, its level of activity, and potential mechanisms for monitoring the impact of the conclusions and recommendations contained in the Economic and Social Council’s documents, in terms of their implementation by the specific entities to which they are addressed.