Regional lawmakers meet to fight poverty and social exclusion

BELGRADE, Oct. 12 – A regional conference on the role of national parliaments in fighting poverty and social exclusion concluded in Belgrade Tuesday, with a pledge to increase inter-parliamentary cooperation in order to decrease impoverishment levels in South East Europe.
Albanian lawmakers were among the participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Turkey, as well as relevant officials from EU institutions.
The event was organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat and the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, with support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
The regional conference “Fight against Poverty and Social Exclusion in the Context of European Integration Process: The Role of National Parliaments” was held to contribute in aligning national legislation with that of the European Union (EU) on the issues of social inclusion and fight against poverty.
fight against poverty and social exclusion requires concerted efforts of not only the governments and parliaments of the Western Balkan countries, but also civil society, international organizations, the private sector, the media, etc.
The event served as a forum for exchange of best practices and discussion on potential common initiatives aimed at accelerating EU integration and meeting related Copenhagen and Madrid criteria. It was linked to the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion and represents a regional contribution to EU targets and achievements in this field.