It is proposed that SEECP countries, supported by the SEECP chairmanship and the Stability Pact Secretariat, establish a Financial Working Group to prepare a funding scheme for the contribution of the regional countries to the funding of the Regional Co-operation Council (RCC) Secretariat.

• According to the decisions at the Regional Table in Belgrade, the RCC Secretariat will be financed jointly by the countries of the region, the European Commission and the interested donor community.

• The Financial WG would be a new tool with one limited task, namely designing and negotiating the regional component of the funding scheme for the RCC Secretariat. It would help to maximise the efficiency of the co-operation between the SEECP chairmanship and the Stability Pact Secretariat in solving this open question by the time of the Regional Table in Bucharest on 15-16 November 2006. Further consideration will have to be given to the financial implications of the task force streamlining strategy to be presented in Bucharest.

• The Financial WG should possibly be composed of competent members of the Ministries of Finance of the SEECP countries and be co-chaired by delegates of the SEECP chairmanship and of the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact.

• Members of the Financial WG should be appointed by their respective countries by 22 September the latest with a view of holding the first WG meeting in early October

• A close relationship to the political transition process from the Stability Pact to the RCC lead by the Regional National Coordinators and coordinated with the SEECP Political Directors would have to be ensured, possibly by holding some of the meetings back-to-back or before the Regional NC meetings.

10 September 2006