UNICE-BOSMIP (Business Organisations as Single Market Integration Players) is a programme financially supported by the European Commission and managed by UNICE, which has been renamed BUSINESSEUROPE. BOSMIP I has strengthened business federations in ten countries acceding to the European Union : Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria.The project has notably familiarised the federations with the EU legislative framework, the acquis communautaire. It has also reinforced the capacity of the federations to deliver adequate services to members. Through UNICE-BOSMIP, federations allow companies and entrepreneurs to support the reform process and to contribute to the formation of legislation and economic policy. Moreover, federations are enabled to create business opportunities for individual member companies. As a result, federations can offer attractive information and advisory services to member companies. An important effect is that the federation’s role as social partners, employers and employees, contribute to smooth functioning and improved labour markets. More info to http://bosmip.unice.org

BUSINESSEUROPE-BOSMIP (Business Organisations as Single Market Integration Players) is a programme financially supported by the European Commission and managed by BUSINESSEUROPE. BOSMIP II has strengthened horizontal business federations in the new Member States and acceding countries from Eastern Europe (Turkey, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria). Know-how and experience about the efficient implementation of the acquis communautaire has been transferred to business federations through partnership with EU-25 member federations of BUSINESSEUROPE. More info to http://www.bosmip2.eu

BUSINESSEUROPE-BOSMIP (Business Organisations as Single Market Integration Players) is a programme financially supported by the European Commission and managed by BUSINESSEUROPE. BOSMIP III strengthens horizontal business federations in the Western Balkans & Turkey. Know-how and experience about the efficient implementation of the acquis communautaire has been transferred to business federations through partnership with EU-27 member federations of BUSINESSEUROPE. BOSMIP III is a project that will follow up on the successful BOSMIP I and BOSMIP II projects and will consist of various acquis related workshops and mentoring projects(FYROM, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Turkey, Albania). More info to http://www.bosmip.eu/bosmip3

BOSMIP IV (Business Organisations as Single Market Integration Players), will follow up on the successful BOSMIP I, BOSMIP II and BOSMIP III (ongoing) projects and will consist mainly of various acquis-related workshops. BOSMIP IV will focus on three areas: enterprise restructuring/pre-accession-preparation, energy and various social issues through promoting social-economic partnerships. In addition to workshops, mentoring programmes will be organised to ensure permanent coaching by EU27 civil society organisations (CSOs) to the target CSOs in the Western Balkans. A study visit to Brussels will also take place to increase the awareness of the functioning of the EU and how to connect better to EU decision making and networks (advocacy).

BOSMIP IV will expand the BOSMIP concept from working with employers federations only to working with other civil society actors as well. BOSMIP IV will match up economic and social committees, trade unions, academic institutions and employers’ organisations in target countries and EU27 partner countries. The main aim will be to strengthen capacities and provide technical assistance for employer federations, trade unions and other partner CSOs involved and to increase cooperation by ‘exporting’ best practices from EU27 countries to the target federations. Extolling the virtues of national socio-economic committees will also be a goal towards preparing CSOs for pre-accession. BOSMIP IV aims hereby to build up civil society so it can be a viable partner vis-� -vis the governments in the Western Balkans. Seminars will be focused on implementing practical and tangible value-added best practices.

The six target countries will be Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Kosovo[1], Montenegro, and Serbia.

[1] Under UNSCR/1244/99, hereafter referred as “Kosovo”