On the occasion of the Stability Pact Economic Working Table in Skopje (10-11 February), six countries of south eastern Europe have signed an agreement on trade and transport. In a "Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Transport Facilitation" Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have committed themselves to a common aim of reducing costs to trade and transport, at the same time reducing smuggling and corruption at border crossings.
Bodo Hombach, Stability Pact Co-ordinator said: "This is another sign of the changed atmosphere in the region since the Stability Pact came into being. It is a clear demostration that the countries of south eastern Europe are serious about regional co-operation. And it reminds all of us that the Stability Pact is about much more than headline figures concerning aid: it is about reform, help for self-help, and countries working together in new and more effective ways".
Major financial resources were also under discussion. A comprehensive list of infrastructure projects, worth billions of euro in total, has been prepared by the European Investment Bank, in close co-operation with other financial institutions and the European Commision. This was done on behalf of all Stability Pact participants, following the Economic Working Table meeting in Bari last October. The selection of projects from the list will be the subject of intensive discussion between all the parties concerned, in the run-up to the Regional Financing Conference, to be held in Brussels on 29-30 March.
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