Upon invitation of the European Labour Authority (ELA), Western Balkans Network for Tackling Undeclared Work attended the thematic workshop of the European Platform Tackling Undeclared Work in Rome, Italy, on 12-13 March 2025. The event was hosted by Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies.

While opening the thematic review workshop: Inter-institutional cooperation within Member States to tackle undeclared work, Krzysztof Bandasz, Head of Sector for tackling undeclared work at ELA, welcomed the participants from enforcement authorities (labour inspectorates and tax authorities) of the Western Balkans Six (WB6) gathered around Western Balkans Network for Tackling Undeclared Work who have, for the first time ever, joined one of the ELA activities. Bandasz expressed satisfaction with the opportunity for mutual learning and exchanges between the EU and WB6 peers, saying that this marks the beginning of what is hopefully to become long-standing cooperation.

Ratka Babic, Team Leader of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP 3), thanked the hosts of the event and the organisers for extending the invitation to the WB6 enforcement practitioners who can greatly benefit from experiences of their European colleagues but also share some good practices implemented in the region. Babic then presented the project, its scope of work, highlighting its objectives, goals, and beneficiaries. Focusing on the work and plans of the Western Balkans Network for Tackling Undeclared Work, she said that the Network has already started implementation of the holistic approach in tackling undeclared work, aiming to transform it into declared work but additional work is much needed to increase efficiency of the enforcement authorities.

The ELA workshop, including enforcement and other government authorities and experts as well as representatives of social partners from some EU economies, explored inter-institutional and cross-border cooperation as tools for improving efficiency in tackling undeclared work.

The session dedicated to inter-institutional cooperation within Member States allowed for the presentation of the new Matrix of Inspections and Risk Assessment (MIRA) system in Albania, presented by Eljo Mucaj from Albanian Labour Inspectorate. MIRA tool was developed with the support of the ILO within ESAP 3 project. Other presentations included Danish experience inter-institutional cooperation against undeclared work (social dumping) and work-related crime; Campaign against undeclared work through collaborative effort between different agencies in Spain; Italian good practices in the fight against undeclared work in agriculture; and data sharing collaboration between the Labour Inspectorate and the Social Insurance Agency in Slovakia.

The second day of the workshop focused on cross-border cooperation, education, and awareness campaigns. Case studies from Latvia-Lithuania and Belgium-Netherlands demonstrated successful collaborative strategies.

WB6 representatives actively engaged in working group discussions with EU counterparts on operational practices, data collection, sharing, and analysis, sharing insights in the practices from their respective economies and identifying best practices for regional implementation.

This event underscored the growing commitment of the Western Balkans and EU partners to fostering closer cooperation in tackling undeclared work, with ESAP 3 and ELA playing a crucial role in facilitating technical support and strategic planning for the region.

Prior to the ELA thematic workshop, ESAP 3 convened the Second Plenary Meeting of the Western Balkans Network for Tackling Undeclared Work to adopt a three-year work plan and coordinate efforts to combat undeclared work.

The plenary session built upon the initial work plan devised at the ESAP 3 kick-off event in October 2024, reflecting the needs and priorities of the Network members. Discussions centered on technical support priorities, meeting schedules, and the integration of the ELA’s upcoming plans, opening avenues for future collaboration.

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Western Balkans Network for Tackling Undeclared Work was established during ESAP 2 project of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC). The Network was modeled on the European Platform Tackling Undeclared Work operation within ELA framework and applying holistic approach to tackling undeclared work.