21. 05. 2025.

At the invitation of the European Commission, the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes took part in a knowledge-sharing seminar titled “Structured Dialogue for Collective Bargaining and Collective Agreements”, held in Larnaca, Cyprus, from 19 to 20 May 2025. The seminar brought together representatives of institutions from 13 EU Member States and Serbia, representatives of the European Commission, social partners from the host country, as well as social partners at the European Union level.

During the two-day seminar, the Agency had the opportunity to present its work and achievements, with particular emphasis on the role and potential involvement of conciliators in the process of drafting collective agreements. We highlighted the activities our institution carries out in cooperation with social partners and the ILO, aimed at promoting the importance of collective bargaining in Serbia.

The seminar provided an excellent opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and experiences with institutions and social partners from other European countries. Despite differing traditions and models of social dialogue, it became clear that all participating countries face similar challenges: a decline in collective bargaining coverage, decreasing trade union and employers’ association membership, decentralisation of bargaining from sectoral to enterprise level, as well as fragmentation and a lack of interest from certain employers.

Special attention was devoted to ways of strengthening the capacities of social partners, adapting legislative frameworks to new labour market conditions, and reinforcing institutions that support social dialogue. EU initiatives were presented, such as the Pact for Social Dialogue, new regulatory frameworks, and various mechanisms of financial support, including funding from the European Social Fund.

It was concluded that continuous investment in capacity-building and the strengthening of the role of conciliators and arbitrators is essential, as is the creation of a supportive legal and institutional framework for collective bargaining.

The Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes will continue to actively engage in these processes and to translate best practices into the domestic context.