The European Commission and the Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Directorate General has published a tender about efficient activation approaches and identifying elements for regional cooperation in the western Balkans.

The tender was published in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the edition of last June 27 (OJ S 121 of 27.06.2009) for inform the Commission on relevant dimensions and actions to support the development of efficient activation approaches, and the modernisation of Public Employment Services (PES) in the frame of the regional cooperation with the western Balkans countries. It should provide up-to-date and relevant analysis and information on existing activation policies and on the situation of PES, identify the challenges and gaps in the light of the EU policy frameworks and help identify ways to progress towards existing approaches and on possible ways to progress towards efficient activation approaches supportive of the Decent Work and Lisbon agendas. The analysis should pay specific attention to the impact of the current financial and economic crisis on the countries and region and its implication in terms of capacity of policymakers to develop activation approaches and of the PES to effectively implement them.

The outcome of the study should enhance the Commission's knowledge base on employment policies of the western Balkan countries. It should help the Commission in developing and focusing its cooperation and dialogue with the countries and contributing to a structured exchange of information in the framework of regional cooperation on employment and social policies with the western Balkans. Countries to be considered are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (under UN Security Council Resolution 1244/99), Montenegro and Serbia.

Proposals and bids must be submitted before 3.9.2009 at 16:00 hours at the following address:

European Commission
Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities DG
Mr. Michael Morass
Ms Frédérique Rychener
rue Joseph II 27
B 1049Brussels
Tel. +32 22994223
faxFax +32 22958690
E-mail: Frederique.rychener@ec.europa.eu